Donation comes in wake of K-9 Kitt’s death in line of duty
RALEIGH, NC — AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet identification and recovery service provider in the United States, is pleased to announce a $7,500 donation to the Braintree Police Department in MA through its AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop matching grant program. Funds were raised by contributions from the South Shore Kennel Club and community members, with AKC Reunite matching donations at a three-to-one ratio. This donation comes in the wake of the death of K-9 Kitt, a 12-year veteran police dog with the Braintree Police Department who was shot and killed in the line of duty this past June.
The Adopt a K-9 Cop program allows AKC Reunite to match funds from AKC Clubs and the public, three-to-one, up to $7,500 per grant through the Canine Support and Relief fund. These donations help police departments throughout the United States purchase K-9 police dogs.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of K-9 Kitt,” said Tom Sharp, AKC Reunite CEO. “K-9 Police Dogs are such a valuable asset to police departments in our country and AKC Reunite is thrilled to be able to offer the Braintree Police Department this donation to assist in acquiring a new K-9 Police Dog.”
“Our club is honored to have contributed to this donation through the AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop matching grant program,” Linda Flynn on behalf of South Shore Kennel Club. “K-9 police dogs help keep our community safe and we are thrilled to help the Braintree Police Department make their goal of acquiring a new K-9 police dog a reality.”
K-9 Kitt’s death in the line of duty has since sparked support for the passage of “Nero’s Law,” a pending Massachusetts bill that would reverse a current law that prohibits first responders from treating or transporting working animals in most situations.
A total of 39 Adopt a K-9 Cop grants have been awarded since the inception of the program. Learn more about how to get involved in AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop program and see pictures and stories of dogs already donated at https://www.akcreunite.org/k9/.
AKC Reunite
The way home for lost pets.
AKC Reunite, an affiliate of the American Kennel Club®, is the largest non-profit pet microchip identification and recovery service provider in the United States. Since 1995 AKC Reunite has helped pet owners reunite with their lost animals via identification and 24/7 pet recovery specialists, enrolling over 8 million companion animals and recovering more than 500,000 lost pets. AKC Reunite microchips are a popular choice of pet professionals throughout the country for permanent pet identification.
The AKC Reunite Canine Support and Relief Fund has donated more than $9 million since 2001 for disaster preparedness and relief causes that impact our nation’s pets, like the AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailer donation program. AKC Reunite also provides free recovery service enrollment for all active service, military, and law enforcement K-9 dogs. For more information visit www.akcreunite.org or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/akcreunite).