Rescue dog finds a second purpose
TUSCUMBIA — Once living on the streets in Muscle Shoals, a pup rescued in Colbert County has found a new life in New England as a comfort canine for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.
After being picked up by workers with the Colbert County animal shelter on July 22, 2025, Bandit was rescued by Paws New England and now resides in Milford, Massachusetts.
Organizations like Paws New England rescue animals from over-filled shelters, provide them with veterinary care and place them in new homes.
Massachusetts DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins said the program began in 2019 and works in collaboration with the department’s Employee Assistance Program.
The Employee Assistance Unit (EAU) is a team of certified peer counselors made up of sergeants, correction officers, and correctional program officers, supported by licensed clinical staff.
The EAU aims to emotionally support DOC employees following events such as assaults and deaths of officers or incarcerated individuals.
Bandit was donated to the DOC when he was just 4 months old and is the first rescue to become a comfort dog at the DOC.
Marley Dixon, Bandit’s handler, started with the DOC as a corrections officer before transitioning into a role in the EAU.
“These animals are so important. I never in my career pictured I would be able to work in the department with dogs,” Dixon said.
Jenkins said the DOC looks for handlers to be innovative and help expand the program.
Dixon has long been involved with animal rescue and says the combination of her passions for animals and the EAU program has been “a dream come true.”
“Something I was really passionate about was doing the role with a rescue or shelter animal,” she said.
Dixon said when a new dog enters the program, it must be certified and pass various training exercises.
Bandit received his Canine Good Citizen certification from the American Kennel Club when he was 10 months old and is currently in the process of completing Therapy Dog training.
“Every day is unpredictable,” Dixon said. “On quiet days, he hangs with me in the office.”
One of the primary responsibilities of the comfort dogs is to support staff members during secondary debriefs.
Dixon said after a traumatic or high-stress event, staff can struggle to verbally process their emotions with clinical staff.
“We bring these dogs in and they open up. It’s such a game changer,” she said.
Bandit joined the Massachusetts Department of Corrections as a comfort dog in 2025, when he was 4 months old.
The comfort dogs also randomly visit staff throughout the DOC, attend wakes and funerals and accompany staff to community events.
Dixon said one of Bandit’s first community events was National Adoption Day last November, shortly after his own adoption.
When Dixon and Bandit are not working at the DOC, Bandit spends time volunteering at local nursing homes, specifically in memory loss care units.
Dixon said other police dogs who also pull comfort duty from time to time, such as Mugsy and Al, have taken the newest and youngest member of the pack under their wings.
“We get so many positive reactions from the staff,” Jenkins said. “The great thing about these dogs, they bring levity to the intense working environment,” he said.
