Chief Richard Howe is pleased to report that School Resource Officer Bethany Bonczar has written a children’s book called “Curious about George” about her work with George, the Tyngsborough Police Department’s comfort dog.
Bonczar, who has served as an SRO since 2018, wrote the book over the past year while collaborating with Tyngsborough Public Schools Special Education Teacher Tayla Makevich, who created original illustrations for the book.
“George has been a visitor in her classroom since he was a puppy and she has seen first hand the type of positive effect that he has had,” said Officer Bonczar. “I first approached her about the idea for George’s book and she was immediately on board bringing her talent and creativity to really bring this book to life.”
George, a 4-year-old beagle/boxer mix, serves as both a comfort dog for Tyngsborough Community members, and as a search and rescue dog that is trained to help track people.
“People in the community have always been ‘curious about George’ and rightly so,” said Officer Bonczar. “George is not your traditional police K-9 but is an important resource for the Tyngsborough Police Department. He has a different look, different purpose, and a much different story, all of which we wanted to share.”
Officer Bonczar, who has never written a book before, took on the project because she wanted to provide a glimpse into the work that she does with George, and to show people a different side of law enforcement.
Working with George enabled Bonczar to meet and connect with students of all ages and backgrounds. George helps to calm and relax students who have experienced stressful situations at school or at home, and helps to reach students even when traditional means of outreach fail.
“We hope that this book provides a glimpse into what George does and will remind people to not judge a book by its cover,” said Officer Bonczar. “It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to, just as George has!”
In addition to drawing attention to George’s work with the police department, Bonczar also hopes that book sales will provide a funding source to maintain a robust SRO program in Tyngsborough, with proceeds from the book all going toward maintaining the program for years to come.
“Officer Bonczar took on this amazing project last year and has created a wonderful children’s book that will help her and George continue connecting with Tyngsborough students while also supporting our SRO programming,” said Chief Howe. “I congratulate Officer Bonczar on a job extremely well done, and invite the entire community to check out ‘Curious About George.'”
Anyone interested in buying a copy of “Curious About George,” or anyone who is interested in setting up a visit with George, can call the Tyngsborough Police Department at 978-649-7504, or email Officer Bonczar at bbonczar@tyngsboroughma.gov. “Curious About George” can also be purchased from Amazon.com using the QR code below.
