CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA POLICE CANINE UNITS
CANIDAE Helps to Take a Bite Out of Crime
Robert Bemis, Regional Sales Manager for CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods, was approached by the Pomona Police Department recently regarding the department's Canine Unit. Earlier this year, the unit lost a Belgian Malinois patrol dog named Buddy to his battle with canine cancer. The department needed to replace Buddy with a new
dog, but budget constraints and a lack of donations made it difficult.
CANIDAE has a long history of supporting both local and pet related causes including an ongoing series of fund raisers for the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. "We were very saddened to hear of Buddy's death from canine cancer. We're very involved with raising funds to treat and prevent cancer in dogs so we are very sensitive to that issue. We wanted to help," Bemis said.
"This not the first time we have worked with law enforcement," Bemis continued. "I'm working to finalize a narcotics dog sponsorship for the Sumerton Arizona Police right now, and CANIDAE has been supporting law enforcement agencies across the country by providing food for their canine units for years."
CANIDAE officially donated the Belgian Malinois, named Baco, to the Pomona Police Department's Canine Unit this past March. The newest member of the Police Department's canine unit, he is in his fourth week of training and getting ready to begin patrol duties with his handler. The 3 1/2 year old Belgian Malinois has shown he's energetic, alert, brave and sociable with his handler, Officer Theo Joseph.
"Buddy's death caught everyone by surprise", said Sgt. Mike Ellis, who oversees the Police Department's canine program. "Because the dog's death came suddenly, no one was able to plan for a replacement," Ellis said.
The donation from CANIDAE came at a critical time for the department, but now the Canine Unit must prepare for the retirement of another dog, Rocky, who will retire in about three months after 11 years of service.
People interested in contributing toward the purchase of Rocky's replacement can attend the Eagles' taco nights, which begin at 6 p.m. Mondays at the Eagles Lodge, 954 W. Mission Blvd., Pomona.
Checks can also be made out to the "Eagles K-9 Fund" and mailed in care of Sgt. Mike Ellis to the Pomona Police Department, 490 W. Mission Blvd., Pomona, CA 91766. Donations will be forwarded to the Eagles.
COPPER MOUNTAIN SKI PATROL
CANIDAE Sponsored Rescue Dog Helps Ski Patrol Team Ensure A Safe Mountain Experience
"Last week I had the opportunity to watch Cascade, a CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods sponsored back country avalanche search dog at work. Cascade is a 3-year old Golden Retriever that is handled by Chris and Hanna Sutton of Copper Mountain Ski Patrol in the beautiful Colorado Rockies," said Chris Milliken, Regional Sales Manager for CANIDAE.
Copper Mountain Ski Patrol in Colorado is one of the larger patrol teams in the county. The staff consists of 60 full-time patrollers, 100 volunteers who work as Slope Watch (the folks who tell you to slow down on groomers and other high-traffic runs), 20 medical volunteer professionals (doctors and nurses who donate their time on the mountain to increase Copper’s medical response force), and 15 high school students who assist in most patrol operations.
The avalanche dogs Cascade, Tucker, Tracker, Eddy, and Bridger round out the team.
Chris Milliken recently had the opportunity to watch Cascade participate in a training exercise. "It was great to see Cascade proudly sporting the CANIDAE Pet Foods patches on his vest. Cascade is a true testament to the results of feeding CANIDAE, from his great looking coat to his ability consistently perform in these high-pressure situations," Milliken said.
