FBI Crisis Response Canine Wally Retires After 10 Years of Service
Crisis canines support victims and foster trust within impacted communities
FBI crisis response canine Wally
After a 10-year career, crisis response canine Wally retired from his official duties.
Wally joined the FBI's Crisis Response Canine Pilot Program in 2015, along with his partner, Gio—who retired in 2025.
As part of the FBI's Victim Services Division (VSD), crisis response canines "have a special ability to mitigate victims’ stress and anxiety in almost any place at almost any time,” said Sho Sinha, who leads VSD.
"That takes training, dedication, and a lot of support," she continued. "You could say that strong victims can make a case stronger. Over the course of an investigation and in the judicial process, crisis response canines can help victims calm their nerves enough to share their stories with investigators and juries."
Studies show that when victims interact with these trained dogs in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, their bodies are less likely to store the trauma.
What began as a pilot program in spring 2015 with Wally and Gio and VSD handlers Staci and Melody, has grown into a nationally recognized federal facility dog program.
The dogs are trained to bond with entire groups of people at any moment; it takes about two years to teach these skills. The New Mexico-based Assistance Dogs of the West trains them and their VSD handlers.
Staci met Wally when he was just 18 months old. Two months into their partnership, Wally and Staci, along with Gio and Melody, responded to the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. California was the first of the 30 states they visited on official FBI business. Often, their work was responding to mass casualty incidents, including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
Together, Gio and Wally have supported over 4,100 victims.
As a result of the successful inaugural Crisis Canine program, two golden Labradors, Taz and Peg, joined the Bureau in April 2025. Taz and Peg are stationed in the FBI Atlanta and Dallas field offices, respectively, so they are geographically positioned to deploy to areas of future need more easily.
On July 14, Wally and Staci were honored at a ceremony at FBI Headquarters for their service.
"The dogs are more than working dogs; they’re brothers," said Melody. “Seeing them together became part of our daily routine, and it’s hard to imagine one without the other.”
Wally’s joyful spirit is a hallmark, she added, and Staci’s and Wally’s dedicated teamwork exemplifies the very best of the program and the incredible bond between a handler and their canine partner.
Wally and his handler, Staci
