Sterling Police Department’s comfort dog, Millie, celebrates first birthday

STERLING — The furriest member of the Sterling Police Department celebrated her first birthday at the Sterling PetSmart on Tuesday.

Millie has been serving as the SPD’s comfort dog for nearly a year. SPD Community Officer Mary Toth is Millie’s partner, handler and “dog momma.” Together, they visit local schools, nursing homes, hospice centers, daycare centers and businesses to provide comfort and help people destress.

The pair also frequently visit April House, Whiteside County’s children’s advocacy center in Morrison, to comfort children scheduled for forensic interviews.

“We have a lot of children that come to April House, and they’re very closed off when they get there, and they don’t want to talk,” Toth said. “But when they see Millie, they start to open up and want to play and engage. A lot of times after their interviews, the kids will walk up the stairs, and the first thing that they’ll say is, ‘Where’s Millie?‘”

Millie and Toth try to make a couple of comfort visits each day while keeping up with various scheduled community and private events. In addition to managing Millie’s community activities, Toth helps manage the SPD’s social media and Citizen’s Police Academy.

“Millie’s the star of the show and I’m just the background actor,” Toth said jokingly. “My job is to make sure that we’re facilitating these relationships in the community. So, I’m constantly talking to people, setting appointments and working on community events. I do a lot of community service and public relations stuff that people don’t see when we’re out and about.”

Toth said Millie quickly mastered basic training when she first came to the department in April 2024 and continues to improve upon those skills in addition to learning more advanced commands.

“She’s learning to stay for longer periods of time, which can sometimes be a problem because she’s attached to me at the hip,” Toth said. “She’s also learning to leave and drop items and work on walking past treats and toys without being tempted. She’s a great dog and she loves people so much and wants to be everyone’s best friend.”

Now the pair are preparing to help support the SPD’s upcoming annual Run for the Badge 5K, which Toth said will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10. She said a link to sign up for the event will be available in the near future on the SPD’s Facebook page.