coordinator dmitry lewis said lila s temperament made her a perfect fit for her new job. we try to hit different divisions and shifts to just allow anyone to kind of play with her. so anxiety gets lowered. emotions get managed. she puts people in a better place. reporter: lila joined the force in june, following a series of tragedies within the ranks of the capitol police. the loss of two officers in the wake of january 6th and a third killed when a car rapid into the barricades in april. she is one part of a broader wellness program to address the emotional health of the force. we ve all had bad days. you have had bad days, i have had bad days. the minute a dog walks in the room for even a minute, crow kind of forget about it all. and you know, those bad feelings and maybe some of those thoughts you re having, they go away. reporter: lila didn t start out her training with law enforcement in mind. if she had one weakness, because she looks like a perfectly
was guarding the capitol on january 6th and suffered a traumatic brain injury when insurrectionists broke through the barricades. and the reason is, like, why we did that was because it gave time for members, for staffers, for everyone to hide, to get out, to, you know, to barricade themselves. and i think that s what it s all about. reporter: members of congress also welcomed lila s arrival to capitol hill. there s of course the harry truman quote, if you want a friend in washington, get a dog. there s all kinds of research on how dogs lower your blood pressure, they re just so lovely and warm and it seemed like a great addition to the capitol, where tensions are high under the best of circumstances. lila will be joined by her fellow k-9 partner, leo, a 4-year-old yellow lab who joined the capitol police force last month. no one can see lila without
feelings and maybe some of those thoughts go away. reporter: lila didn t start out her training with law enforcement in mind. if she had one weakness, because she looks like a perfectly behaved dog, what would it be? . her she started off as a seeing eye dog. she went through the training to be a seeing eye dog, but then kryptonite, squirrels, that became an issue. so she actually went into a different type of training to be very comfortable with groups of people, to be comfortable with crowds. training that more made her suited for what she does right now. reporter: and she s already getting high praise from her fellow officers, who she s helping to come to terms with their trauma. it s so hard to see when you re in the moment, you know, it feels silly, like, all right,
will not be mason and mix don s, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other. and that s your reality check. . listen, this is no coincidence. i think they know what they re doing, and it s dangerous. it is the most dangerous game you can play in a democracy. john avlon, thank you very much. u.s. capitol police have had a tough year, emotional year. three of their officers died in the line of duty. and more than 150 were injured in the january 6th insurrection. and now the department is enlisting new team members to help brighten their days. cnn s lauren fox has more. reporter: the newest member of the u.s. capitol police force is already pretty pupular. hey, sweetie. aww. reporter: lila, a 3-year-old black labrador who serves as a
wellness support dog for 2,300 members of the united states capitol police. . sit. reporter: her handler, wellness coordinator dimitri lewis said her temperament made her a perfect fit for her new job. . we try to hit different divisions, different shifts to just allow anyone to kind of play with her. so anxiety gets lowered. emotions gets managed. she puts people in a better place. reporter: lila joined the force in june, following a series of tragedies within the ranks of the capitol police. a loss of two officers in the wake of january 6th, and a third killed when a car rammed into the barricades in april. she is one part of a broader wellness program to address the emotional health of the force. we have all had bad days. the minute a dog walks in the room for even a minute, you kind of forget about it all. and, you know, those bad