Fred trots beside his handler, Frederick Police Department Officer Maggie Lee, a school resource officer at MSD for almost three years. Fred’s mission is to be his cheerful, excited self and provide comfort to the community.

“He loves to come to work in the morning,” Lee said. “When he sees me put my uniform on, he’s ready to go, out the door.”

Fred is the second comfort dog to join the Frederick Police Department community. Nevada, a black Lab, joined in 2021 and hangs out at Lincoln Elementary School with her handler, Sgt. Rebecca Carrado.

While Fred will follow Lee wherever she goes, most of the pair's time will be spent at MSD. Lee said she saw the good Nevada was doing at Lincoln Elementary, so she wanted to see if she could do the same for MSD.

“I spoke to the many folks here as far as staff and students to find out if that would be something they'd be interested in. They said yes. They were overwhelming in their support,” Lee said.

Fred is from Hero Dogs, a Montgomery County nonprofit that provides dogs to veterans and first responders. His full name is Frederick, after the U.S. Navy veteran Frederick Thomas Thornley, who sponsored Fred.

Fred is not a part of the police department’s K-9 unit, so he will not be taking part in any apprehensions or detection searches.

Additionally, Fred is not a service dog, which usually help people with disabilities to navigate the world.

If a student or staff member at MSD is having a bad day, they can request to spend some time with Fred for a pick-me-up, Lee said. They can also request to see him if they’re having a good day and want to spend more time with him, she said.

Fred has only been at MSD for about a week, and he’s already well liked. John Serrano, MSD’s new superintendent, started his role around the same time as Fred, but, he said through an interpreter, Fred has already become more popular.

Serrano said he’s seen how much positivity Fred brings to the campus. With everything going on in the world, staff members and students need something to look forward to, he said.

“He's a wonderful addition," Serrano said. “He’s a part of the MSD family. The kids expect to see him every day.”

Considering Fred’s assignment to MSD, Fred and Lee are working on expanding his American Sign Language vocabulary. He already responds to commands in ASL like "lay down," "stand," and "sit." When Lee signs the word "friend," Fred goes in for a handshake, or maybe a paw shake.

Now, they’re working on other signs and commands, like "dance." Fred picks up quicker on the ASL commands than he does the verbal commands, she said.

Fred kept patting Lee’s thigh with his paw, trying to anticipate commands for treats. Fred is very food-motivated, she said.

And despite the short amount of time Fred has been at MSD, Lee said, she’s noticed a change in the atmosphere.

“I just feel more of a sense of calm, happiness, excitement for the kiddos, especially certain kiddos that, you know, originally when they saw him weren't sure about petting him and now they are running toward him in the morning to say hi,” she said.