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Dolce is an 8-year-old German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix. Last year, Rachel Pierce and Dolce received the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence for “distinguished service for assisting victims of crime.” Pierce was recognized for creating and implementing the therapy dog program—the first of its kind for the Bureau.

Rachel Pierce, a psychologist who worked for the Department of Defense and law enforcement before joining the Bureau about five years ago, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. In 2004, she went to a local shelter looking for a puppy she could train to be a service dog. That’s where she found Dolce.

Rachel Pierce realized that Dolce’s intelligence and temperament would make him a terrific therapy dog. She knew from her military experience that the Army has a successful therapy dog program, and she set out to introduce a similar program at the FBI.

Dolce, with his shimmering yellow coat and steel blue eyes, is the Bureau’s one and only therapy dog.

In her spare time Rachel Pierce is training her new puppy, Kevlar. “Dolce has to retire someday,” Rachel Pierce said. “I hope it works out that Kevlar will take his place.”

Studies have shown that the presence of an animal in a stressful situation can produce a calming effect, Rachel Pierce said. “It can lower blood pressure and make you feel more relaxed.” In the immediate aftermath of a bank robbery, for example, a calm witness can better help investigators with information about the crime.

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