Pittsburgh firefighters union gets service dog

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Firefighters in Pittsburgh now have a new furry friend they can go to when they're hurt.

On Monday, Gunny's Ridge K9 dog service presented the Pittsburgh firefighters union with a new service dog.

Maverick, a 9-month-old golden retriever, will be utilized by the union's peer support group, which helps firefighters through recovery.

"We'll be doing station visits after stressful critical events. We also have plans in the works now to do fire prevention with schools -- do stuff in the community, nursing homes, stuff like that. Get him out and about," said Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire peer support group member Josh Hallmark.

Since he's so young, Maverick is still going through training along with Josh, his new owner. Maverick is the first service dog of his kind for firefighters in the city of Pittsburgh.

Gunny's Ridge's K9 Service Dog program currently provides service dogs to veterans and first responders.

"Whether it's through physical limitations that they have or, you know, emotional support, PTSD, things like that -- our dogs can train across a variety of areas," said Michael Snider, the president of Gunny's Ridge.