Meghan Backofen commuted for a decade with a coworker to her job working in child welfare for the Garfield County Department of Human Services and her passenger never had a word to say.

He spent most of his time in her office, too, just as wordless as he was in the car.

Now he’s retired, as of early August, and Backofen is really going to miss working with this quiet guy.

The value of Backofen’s treasured colleague at work didn’t depend on any spoken dialogue. Rather, he made use of a wagging tail and the gentle nose-nudges he gave to her clients, inviting them to pet him, perhaps put his head in their lap and help put them at ease during what could be some very difficult moments for them.

Frasier, a Lab/golden retriever mix, was what’s known as a facility dog, a reference to dogs with

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