AKC REUNITE AND LOUISVILLE KENNEL CLUB DONATE $20K TO SHEPHERDSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH ‘ADOPT A K-9 COP PROGRAM’
From left: Sergeant Burton, Officer Schank, Chief McCubbin, Tracy Pancost, Debbie Owen
LOUISVILLE, KY — AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet identification and recovery service provider in the United States, is pleased to announce $15,000 in donations to K-9 units at the Shepherdsville Police Department through its AKC ReuniteSM Adopt a K-9 Cop matching grant program. Funds were raised by contributions from the Louisville Kennel Club, who donated $5,000 (two K-9 grants) for a total of $20,000, presented before Best in Show at the Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows on March 19.
The Shepherdsville Police Department recently lost two of its K-9s; one retired last month and another, K-9 Officer Dash, was killed in the line of duty on March 9, saving his handler’s life. The dogs work in shifts, so there is always one on-call at any time.
The death of K-9 Dash of the Shepherdsville PD still heavily impacted the community, says Louisville AKC Delegate Debra Owen. “The whole area around here is in mourning – the dogs are like family.”
“It is important to us to be able to provide these departments with the funds they need to obtain K-9 police dogs,” said Tom Sharp, CEO of AKC Reunite. “They are an integral part of law enforcement agencies and help keep the community safe.”
Shepherdsville Police Chief Rick McCubbin, Sargent Kyle Burton and K-9 Officer Dash’s Handler, Officer Jeff Schank were present to accept the check as well as a plaque in honor of K-9 Officer Dash.
Learn more about how to get involved in AKC Adopt a K-9 Cop at https://www.akcreunite.org/k9/.