Faces light up and no one can resist stopping for a pat and chat whenever Angus the friendly golden retriever appears — which is why he is so good at his job.

Together with his handler, St John WA paramedic Karen “Hoppa” Hollings, five-year-old Angus is pioneering the dogs for first responders program.

The four-legged mental health assistant regularly offers emotional support to ambulance crews. And he recently helped ease the pain of Emergency Department staff at Rockingham hospital when a much-loved nurse died suddenly.

Ms Hollings developed post-traumatic stress disorder and feared she’d never work again after a patient lashed out at her 11 years ago, leaving her badly injured. She credited her doctor’s therapy dog with helping her return to health and to full-time work.

“In amongst

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