ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. — The Allegan County Sheriff's Office has received a donation from the Holland Kennel Club to purchase a new K-9.
The $13,500 donation came last week to allow for the retirement of Lajki, a K-9 deputy that has been with Allegan police since 2017. A donation from the Holland Kennel Club previously purchased Lajki, as well as K-9 Lucky in 2010.
Officials say both the Holland Kennel Club and the Gun Lake Tribe are major supporters of the sheriff office's K-9 unit, and that their partnerships make it possible to run the unit.
"They also help provide the training that makes our community, deputies and K9 deputies safer every day," reads a press release. "These two organizations make everything possible for us and we again thank all members for the continued support."
Currently, the Allegan County Sheriff's Office has four K-9 deputies, which allows for a K-9 on each shift. While K-9 deputies respond to a variety of calls, including detecting drugs, police say the dogs ability to track is crucial.
"Most would think that drug detection is the skill we rely on most, but tracking is what our K-9 handlers pride themselves on," reads the press release. "K-9s are able to track suspects as well as assist with missing persons cases. When a K-9 handler is able to locate a missing person or lost child with the assistance of their K-9, it is one of the most rewarding moments."
The Allegan County Sheriff Office's K-9 unit most recently received a $4,000 donation from Gun Lake Casino earlier this month.
Related video:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
