Police K-9 relief fund helps cover costs of veterinary fees

7th annual Cape & Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund event February 28th in Yarmouth

K-9 dogs and their handlers are an integral part of police work.  K-9 teams are brought in on a  variety of calls and cases such as missing person, drug detection and to help locate and catch suspects after a crime has been committed. It's no different here on Cape Cod where police K-9s along with their handlers, respond to several hundred calls every year. 

Recently, Barnstable County K-9 Deputy Sheriff Lt. Barney Murphy and his dog were called in to assist the Orleans Police in apprehending an armed robbery suspect. Like their handlers and the other men and women of the police force, these loyal, highly trained animals put their lives at risk every time they answer a call.

According to the Cape & Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund, there are currently ten actively working  police K-9s in the Cape Cod area. Prior to active duty, each police K-9 attends a sixteen-week Patrol Academy where they learn activities including tracking, criminal apprehension and car stops.

In a CapeCodToday.com interview from last year, Samantha Pearsall spoke with police K-9 trainer and  handler, Lieutenant Kenneth Ballinger of the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office.  Lt. Ballinger told  Pearsall being a handler is a 24/7, 365 day a year, bring home job that requires incredible  dedication on the part of both the handler and his dog. 

Keeping and caring for a police K-9 can also be rather costly. Expenses to maintain such an animal, even after its retirement, may create a financial burden for the handler and his family. That's where the Cape &  Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund comes in. The fund helps ease the financial burden of veterinary bills through fundraising and donations from businesses and private citizens.  You and your dog can even wear your support on a Cape Cod Police K-9 Relief Fund shirt, baseball cap, leash or collar.

The Cape & Islands Police K-9 Relief Fundraiser, the 7th annual, will be held on Sunday, February  28, 2010 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Yarmouth House in West Yarmouth.  Hors d' oeuvres will be  served and there will be a silent auction and raffle.

A donation of $50 per person is suggested. All proceeds from the event go to paying medical bills for retired police K-9 dogs. Admission is payable at the door.

Earlier, in September 2009, the Cape and Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund also hosted the first, of  hopefully, many, Fun Runs--a fundraising motorcycle ride from Dennis to Provincetown.

For more information on the Cape and Islands Police K-9 Relief Fund or to make an online donation,  visit the website here.