Help Atlantic County, NJ Sheriff Name New K-9’s

🐶  Atlantic County Sheriff O'Donoghue acquired 2 new K-9 officers

🐶 The Dogs are Both Belgian Malinois- One Male and One Female

🐶 Help the Sheriff Name the K-9s

Sheriff Joe O'Donoghue has announced that his department has acquired 2 new K-9 officers.

I've had an opportunity to get to know some K-9s and their handlers when we lived down South.

I'm a big fan.

The five biggest things I've learned about these dogs are,

✓ These are brilliant creatures.  Not every dog is a good choice for this line of work.

✓ Training and care for these dogs is quite expensive. The average cost of training can be as high as $15,000+.  Training for the K9 and handler is an ongoing process

✓ The most common breeds of K9s are Belgian Malinois, German Shepards, Dutch Shepards, and Labrador Retrievers.

✓ While trained for police work, these dogs are typically big goofballs when off duty and are typically a part of the handler's family.

✓ Many municipalities that employ a K9 unit receive a portion of funding from the government but depend on the community to help financially.

In addition to ongoing training, departments are faced with expenses for protective gear, healthcare, and food.

Police K9 units are effective tools of law enforcement.

Many officers have told me that criminals fear the wrath of a police K9 more than tasers, or even guns.

Announcing that a police K9 will be released is usually enough to end a foot pursuit.

Criminals never win foot races with these dogs.

The Friends of the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office Foundation are raising money for the Sheriff's K9 unit in a unique way.

They are asking the public to help in naming the two new officers.

For a donation of 5 dollars, you can vote for a name for one of the K9s.

One of the K9s is the partner of Officer Kelso.  She is a native of Canada (I'm talking about the dog), she is 13 months old and loves to play fetch.

She is currently in training with Kelso for narcotics detection and other scents.

The other K9 is the partner of Officer Richardson.  He is 20 months old and is also from Canada and has taken up running as a hobby.

This K9 is in training for explosives detection and firearm recovery.

Police K9s are proven to be effective deterrents, and have been credited with saving the lives of many of their human partners.  They deserve our support.

If you'd like to help name a K9 and make a donation, click here.