Meet Buford, K-9 Extraordinaire

My posts have been a little few and far between this week because I’m working at the community festival surrounding the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement.

Today, I was honored to meet Buford, one of Canton’s finest.  (And I apologize, Buford, for the smeary picture – not sure what happened.  Let’s just say we are digitizing your face so you don’t blow your undercover status!)

Hard at work protecting and serving the populace of Canton, 7-year old Buford rides with Patrol Officer Gilmore of the Canton Police Department.

I think Buford was a little disappointed when he got out of the car ready to work, and only got his picture taken instead of using his training and skills.

Canton’s K-9 force consists of 11 dog/officer pairs.  They are used for search and rescue, bad-guy tracking, and drug sniffing.

Average annual cost of food:  $300

Average cost of dog acquisition and training:  $15,000

Sleeping better at night knowing Buford is on the job:  priceless!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

The life of a police dog

From the Minneapolis-St Paul Star Tribune:  Gunner, a 2-year old German Shepherd spends his nights cruising the streets of Blaine, MN as part of a police K-9 team.  Off-duty, he’s just another dog…or is he?

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Death of a Police Dog

Have you seen the stories out of the tiny community of Mulberry, Florida?  Officer Sara Movahedi, the department’s only K-9 officer, was switched to a new vehicle that was not yet fully outfitted with the protective equipment important to the dog’s well-being.

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Loss of a Hero

From Berea, Ohio:  K-9 officer Ciro was put to sleep Saturday, two weeks after receiving a devastating diagnosis of cancer.  He was just five years old.  Swollen lymph nodes were found during a routine vet visit, and tests revealed a very aggressive form of lymphatic cancer.

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