United States Police Canine Association Region 7 to further SAR Training for Law Enforcement K-9s with Donation
New York, NY– The American Kennel Club® and AKC Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) are pleased to announce a $25,000 donation to the not-for-profit United States Police Canine Association Region 7 (USPCA), which includes New York City, to enhance ongoing search and rescue education of law enforcement K-9s and their handlers wanting to further their training in detecting and locating lost, missing or injured persons.
The donation is made in recognition of the efforts New York Task Force One, sponsored by the NYC Office of Emergency Management and staffed by NYPD and FDNY personnel, which deployed to Haiti with four search and rescue K-9 teams in early January to assist with earthquake recovery and relief efforts. After a more than a week-long deployment in Port Au Prince, the dogs and handlers returned with six rescues under their belts, including freeing 10 and 8-year old siblings from the rubble.
“We are pleased to give this donation locally to the USPCA Region 7 in recognition of the good works of the NYPD K-9 search and rescues teams sent to Haiti,” said AKC CAR CEO Tom Sharp. “USPCA Region 7 is an organization with a dedicated history of supporting law enforcement K-9s and their handlers with ongoing training and educational seminars. We look forward to this donation furthering and creating new opportunities for SAR training for their members.”
“Many times during natural disasters law enforcement K-9s are the first on the scene,” said Lt. John Kerwick, President of the USPCA Region 7. “We look forward to using the generous donation to improve their ability to respond and help locate lost, missing or injured persons.”
The AKC and AKC CAR have a long history of supporting SAR teams. The AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in response to the exemplary work and dedication of the search and rescue dog first responders. Since its creation, the Fund has provided $3 million in search and rescue grants as well as disaster relief in response to hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
The fund accepts both donations and applications for grant money at the following sites: https://www.akc.org/donations/ and https://www.akc.org/dogny/grants.cfm.