Dakota, a K-9 who helped track Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, came home broken and was almost euthanized. Dakota’s Law, a State House bill, aims to make sure dogs like him aren’t left behind.
Illustration by Jeannie Phan
The hours and days following the marathon bombings were harrowing for Newton Police K-9 Dakota. Together with his human partner, he helped secure downtown Boston after the attack and, days later, doggedly pursued suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev through the streets of Watertown. Like many first responders, he returned changed. Dakota developed what would later be recognized as canine post-traumatic stress disorder, becoming fearful, withdrawn, and unable to function. At the time, there was no formal diagnosis, no treatment protocol, and no clear plan for dogs whose service left lasting trauma. Euthanasia was considered.
Instead, Dakota was brought to James LaMonte, who took the German shepherd mix into his training facility and began developing a tailored rehabilitation program. That work not only saved Dakota’s life but also became the foundation for the K9 PTSD Research Center in Seekonk, a nonprofit dedicated to treating retired military and law-enforcement dogs suffering from trauma. Dakota’s recovery—and the larger issue of post-service care for working dogs—is documented in the 2023 film Healing Dakota, now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Thirteen years later, as Boston prepares for another marathon, Dakota’s story has resurfaced in a new place: the State House. Dakota’s Law, a bill currently before the Massachusetts Legislature, would create a state-managed fund to help cover medical and trauma care for retired police dogs—support that did not exist when Dakota left service. Filed in January 2025 by state Representative Steven Xiarhos and others, the proposal has advanced out of committee in consecutive sessions, an important step in a legislature where only a small fraction of bills ultimately become law. “I was so impacted by James’s care of these dogs,” says Xiarhos, who in 2022 was successful in passing Nero’s Law, which allows injured police K-9s to be treated and transported by EMTs. Under the new proposed legislation, the fund would be administered by a committee and distributed through grants for eligible K-9 care.
In the meantime, LaMonte continues to house and care for retired and wounded K-9s—often for the remainder of their lives—operating entirely through donations. “Too many nights I went to sleep carrying a quiet fear and a heavy weight on my heart—the worry of not knowing if I would have the money if something serious happened [to one of the dogs], if an unexpected surgery or medical emergency put their life on the line,” LaMonte says. “Dakota’s Law would change everything. It would mean their care is no longer uncertain. It would mean their future is protected.”
