Sleep, eat and be pet by students — that’s the ruff duty facing the newest Douglas County Sheriff’s Office hire.

Sworn in as Douglas County’s first canine School Resource Officer (SRO), Guster, a one-and-a-half-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, will serve as a therapy dog with Deputy Brian Corbin at Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

In a news release, Douglas County officials said Guster’s presence is “expected to enhance trust, improve communication, and help students navigate challenges in a safe and approachable way.”

“We’re incredibly excited to introduce Guster to our students,” Sheriff Darren Weekly said while swearing in Guster to the force on Wednesday.

“Our SRO program is one of the strongest in the state,” Weekly said. “Guster brings a new and powerful tool to help us connect with students, support their mental health, and strengthen the relationship between youth and law enforcement.”

Douglas County’s SRO program — aimed to improve the safety of students — deploys security deputies among seven high schools, five middle schools, seven charter schools, four private schools, and 34 elementary schools within the county and Douglas County School District.

“The SRO program has been absolutely critical in all schools, especially ours,” Cresthill Principal Francesca Pappalardo said. “This is just icing on the cake for us. To have this added piece, for kids to have a friendly face, a wagging tail, adding that comfort is going to be a game-changer at Cresthill.”

Freedom Service Dogs, a local nonprofit based in Englewood, donated Guster to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the first SRO dog the nonprofit has ever donated, according to Freedom Service Dogs CEO Chris Nelson.

The value of an SRO dog, Nelson said, “will be magnified by each and every interaction every day.”

“In this circumstance,” he said, “we’re incredibly proud to be helping partnerships in schools, and we hope to continue to do more of that.”

Following Wednesday’s swearing in, Weekly said he hopes Guster is the “first of many” SRO dogs in the department. Guster is the fourth overall therapy dog hired by the sheriff’s office. The other three dogs serve at the sheriff’s office in Castle Rock.

“With Guster now on duty,” sheriff’s office officials said, “the DCSO continues to innovate and expand the ways its SROs serve Douglas County’s youth — not just through safety and law enforcement, but through compassion and connection.”