Like their human counterparts, canine law enforcement officers risk injury – even their lives – to protect the public.

“The fact that they’re able give of themselves day in and day out for us and for everyone else, sacrificing their bodies, and not asking anything of us in return, is remarkable,” said Connecticut State Trooper Matthew Warren. For five years, Warren has been partnered with a fellow trooper, Argo, as a canine handler. Given the bond between them, protecting and caring for Argo is as important as caring for his children.

“We treat them just like our children,” he said. “We need to know how to act.”

By acting, in this case, Warren wants to be able to treat Argo in the event he is hurt while serving the public.

That’s why training human police officers to save the lives of injured canine partners is now a priority in Connecticut.

That’s where Axel comes in. He is a canine law enforcement officer in the form of a state-of-the-art, hands-on canine training simulator, able to simulate a gun shot wound, a blocked airway or a broken bone. He growls, whimpers and bleeds just like any animal in distress.

His purpose? To help law enforcement handlers assist their canine partners should they be injured in the course of their work, and allowing handlers to train for real-life scenarios in the safety of a simulated setting.

“When we saw this dog, we saw an opportunity to help our state, local and federal police officers, said Steve Donahue from the Hartford HealthCare Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI), where Axel will make his home.

He may be a simulation, but Axel’s life-like movements and appearance are impressive.

“(Axel) bleeds like a real dog,” said Connecticut State Trooper Philip Soucy. “The sounds, the breathing are very lifelike. The realism is just out-of-this-world.”

Axel is one just 31 canine simulators – and the first and only one in the country to be placed in a healthcare environment. His simulated brothers and sisters are all part of military training units.

Learn more about the services offered by the Hartford HealthCare Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation here.