Life is not always easy for dogs looking to be adopted. When that stress manifests itself as being shy, scared or maybe even overexcited, it can make it even harder for a dog to get adopted. Shelters are often overloaded. And puppy mills aren’t helping things, either.
But police in Nebraska plan to do something about that.
Following in the footsteps of a successful program launched by a police department in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the La Vista Police Department in La Vista, Nebraska, is taking shelter dogs along for a ride.
According to the website Wide Open Pets:
“La Vista Police Department Captain Bryan Waugh said in an interview with This Dog’s Life:
“The program offers an opportunity to not only strengthen our relationship with our partners at the Nebraska Humane Society, but also allows our officers an opportunity to engage our community in a way that we may not have been able to without the addition of a great dog.”
“The program, called K9 For a Day, allows one dog at a time to hop in a patrol car with an officer and join them as they go about their day,” notes Wide Open Pets.
“The first pup to go along for the ride was a bully breed named Mickey, who had found himself back in the shelter for the third time through no fault of his own.” the story continues. “According to his handler for the day, Mickey charmed everyone in the community, and his efforts paid off in a big way – he was adopted by a local couple just a few days later after seeing his story on the news.”
With at least one success, this Nebraska police department says it will continue the program and will be taking Nebraska Humane Society dogs out on police patrols regularly.
The effort in Green Bay seems to be popular. Check out what the GBPD had to say about K9 For a Day:
What a great service our men and women and blue are giving these lovable pooches!