By DOANE YAWGER
Special to the Times
Police dogs are an essential component of law enforcement with the Merced Police Department and countless other jurisdictions — they go where officers can’t reach and catch escaping and combative criminals trying to elude them. Their job is just as dangerous and stressful as it is for their human companions.
The nine-member Merced Police K-9 Association was formed to care for these dogs when their service lives are over or when they have been injured on duty. The group also is trying to provide funds for training and protective gear that the K-9 officers wear, veterinary bills along with pet insurance and a nest-egg for retired animals as they advance in age.
The K-9 Association is conducting a fundraising dinner Friday, Jan. 16, in Merced to raise funds for their furry friends.
Sgt. Jeff Horn is in charge of the department’s K-9 unit and handled a dog before he was promoted to his current position. The department now has three police canines and is hoping that the budget will allow for two more dogs.
“They are a huge benefit. Dogs are the only force option that we can all back. Once you fire a taser or a weapon it’s gone,” Horn says.
Police duty is stressful on a dog’s neck, back and legs, including rapidly getting in and out of the patrol vehicle many times in a day’s time.
Angela Garcia was a K-9 handler for the Merced Police Department for 3 1/2 years and is the association president. Now she’s a UC Merced police officer and cares for Sam, a 13-year-old German shepherd police dog who sustained partial and then full paralysis of his right side. When she and her friend noticed that Sam could barely walk after an injury, it set up a lengthy and expensive process to get her faithful companion well.
“I got the scariest news that you could imagine at the veterinarian’s office about his injuries. He sustained partial and then full paralysis on his right side. He was referred to the UC Davis vet clinic and admitted that day for surgery,” Garcia says.
Garcia assumed the $13,000 surgery costs and the community then raised funds for her to recoup that expense. She donated what was left from that fundraising effort to help create the association, including attorney fees and the expense of creating a non-profit association.
Sam was retired from police duty in October, 2023. Now he’s able to walk but can’t jump anymore and is part of the Garcia household, which includes three Dachshunds.
“He’s a good boy. He’s living his best life. He’s my passion,” she says.
Horn says the service life for a police K-9 is about eight years. He said a drug-sniffing dog usually can scan a 10 by 12-foot room for drugs in about a minute’s time and can find escaping criminals who could be hiding anywhere during a foot chase.
It costs $11,500 to purchase a police K-9 and at least another $7,000 for training. The department uses the Top Dog Police K-9 agency in Ripon for the eight-week training, which follows Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) standards. Potential police dogs are trained from birth and paired with their officer companions for an eight-week training period.
“Dogs have an acute sense of smell. Think of it like cooking a stew. The dogs can detect each part of the stew, including the carrots, peas and potatoes,” Horn says. Drug-detecting dogs learn to recognize methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine.
The association has reached out to the Brady Foundation to purchase protective bullet-proof vests for two dogs. The foundation was formed by Brady Snakovsky when he was a middle school student. His mission is to protect police canines, so they can come home each day after service.
Merced’s three canine officers include Zeke, a Belgian Malinois who is trained in gun and suspect apprehension. He’s been with the department about five years. The others are Koa and Mako, also Belgian Malinois breeds.
“They get into everything,” Horn quips.
Koa has been with the department for a year. He’s a drug and apprehension dog, along with Mako.
Merced’s Italo-American Lodge at 1351 W. 18th St. is pairing with the K-9 association to put on the Jan. 16 drive-through dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The cost for pasta, salad and a roll is $20 per plate.
He hopes to raise about $25,000 for the association, serving between 500 and 600 people.
Joe Stefani of Merced is coordinating the dinner preparation and has been a lodge member for more than 20 years. The Italo-American Lodge does a minimum of 10 fundraising dinners a year for local charities.
“It’s amazing. It’s such a great cause. These dogs have dedicated their lives to the community to keep the community safer. We’re going to reach the $25,000 mark; that’s the goal,” Stefani said.
All the police dogs, by the way, will be on hand to greet their benefactors when dinners are picked up, Horn says.
For more information and details about volunteering to help the organization or purchasing tickets, e-mail the association at: mpdk9association@gmail.com
Doane Yawger of Merced is a semi-retired newspaper reporter and editor.