Nonprofit founder who trained Maine’s first comfort dogs mourns his loss

Baxter was introduced as a “comfort dog” in September 2022. The 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever died after being left in a state vehicle Wednesday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Maine’s first comfort dog, Baxter, had been rescued as a puppy and bottle-fed by volunteers for a nonprofit in New Hampshire that pairs trained dogs with veterans and first responders.

“We’re heartbroken,” the organization’s founder, Laura Barker, said in an interview on Friday, a day after the Maine Department of Public Safety announced Baxter had been found dead in a state vehicle.

“We know that Baxter was loved his whole time on Earth,” Barker said. “He also helped a lot of people while he was here.”

Barker said she and her colleagues are still in shock at the loss, and are confident that the department will conduct a thorough investigation.

It’s still unclear exactly what led to Baxter’s death.

The 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever had been working as a comfort dog for dispatchers under the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications since he was introduced to the state in the fall of 2022.

A spokesperson for the department said he was found dead Wednesday afternoon after the vehicle “unexpectedly” shut off while he was inside.

The vehicle was parked at the communications center in Bangor, where the National Weather Service recorded temperatures up to 82 degrees that afternoon.

Shannon Moss, a Department of Public Safety spokesperson, said she could not answer questions about the type of vehicle and how long the dog was left inside. She confirmed that Brodie Hinckley, the director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications, had been Baxter’s handler. Hinckley did not respond to requests for an interview on Friday.

Moss did not answer follow up questions asking if Hinckley was placed on leave.

Brodie Hinckley, director of the state’s Consolidated Emergency Communications Bureau, stands with Baxter, at the Department of Public Safety building in Augusta in September 2022. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Some newer vehicles have an auto shut-off feature, where the engine is disabled after a certain amount of time if it’s left running while parked. In recent years, some police departments have purchased technology that will alert officers if the car shuts off or gets too hot.

The Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society, notes that temperatures inside a car can rise rapidly in minutes. Even with the windows opened slightly, temperatures can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes on an 85-degree day, according to Humane World.

Baxter was trained through Hero Pups and AT&T FirstNet paid for the dog’s vet visits and supplies before he joined the bureau in 2022, according to Hero Pups and the Department of Public Safety.

Barker, Hero Pups founder, said Baxter’s DPS handler took care of him full-time after his first birthday, but he came back to the New Hampshire nonprofit occasionally for training. She encouraged the public to wait to hear all of the details before assuming what happened.

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