OREM, Utah — An adorable Fox Red Labrador now with the Orem Police Department has an important mission that will benefit the entire community.
The pup's name is Hoku, which means "star" in Hawaiian.
She's already shining bright at the Orem Police Department and they hope she'll soon be just as impactful to the community.
Hoku won't be a K9 officer focused on narcotics or any of the more traditional work you see other police dogs do.
Instead, this fuzzy puppy will be a Victim Advocate K9. It's a big step for the Orem police as she's the first dog in the department with this type of assignment.
Her purpose will be to comfort and support victims of crime as she responds to crisis calls alongside her handler, Orem police explained.
Of course, she's not quite ready to make an appearance yet in the community. Hoku has to complete quite the training journey that may take anywhere between one to two years.
Right now, she's enrolled in a six-week service puppy preparation course to get ready for the extensive training ahead.
"Every step is worth it for the positive difference she'll make in people's lives," Orem police said in a social media post.
Hoku was born on July 11 in Washington and made her journey to Utah when she was 8 weeks old, on September 7.
