FBI crisis response canine Gio to retire after nearly a decade; program expanding to Dallas and Atlanta

Gio, a crisis response canine with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will retire from service on New Year’s Eve after nearly 10 years assisting victims at high‑stress scenes and in court, the FBI said during a Dec. 9 ceremony at FBI headquarters.

The announcement highlighted Gio’s role in helping victims provide testimony and in building rapport with survivors. Shoheini Sinha, assistant director of the FBI Victim Services Division, said Gio “was the first crisis response canine permitted to appear on the witness stand in federal court, and that was a really big deal.” The division said those courtroom and forensic‑interview appearances are intended to reduce victims’ anxiety and help them participate in investigations and prosecutions.

The program began after a 2014 visit to an international partner prompted the Victim Services Division to explore facility and assistance dogs for trauma‑informed support. In 2015 the bureau partnered with the nonprofit Assistance Dogs of the West to place Gio and another dog, Wally, with FBI handlers. The program later deployed teams to respond to mass‑violence incidents cited in the transcript, including the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the 2017 Las Vegas music festival shooting and the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.

Handlers and trainers emphasized the dogs’ calming presence and described a careful selection and training process. Jill Felice, vice president and program director at Assistance Dogs of the West, summarized the scientific rationale, saying dogs can help trigger oxytocin release that “helps them regain their ability to speak and share their story.” ADW trainers said puppies are bred and socialized for traits — including what the organization calls “beta build,” the ability to take direction from multiple people — that make them suitable for courtroom and interview settings.

The Victim Services Division also said it will expand the crisis response canine footprint by stationing two new field‑based teams: one in the Dallas field office and one in Atlanta. The new teams, named Taz and PIG in the transcript, are intended to enable faster regional response and to reach victims who may be reluctant to engage with the bureau.

Crisis response canines typically serve eight to ten years. When Wally and Gio retire, handlers have the option to adopt them under the program’s right of first refusal; current handlers said they expect to exercise that option. The FBI’s announcement directs listeners to fbi.gov/gio for a profile of Gio and to fbi.gov/victims for more information on the Victim Services Division.

The episode was produced by Inside the FBI and distributed by the FBI Office of Public Affairs across podcast platforms.