Author:
Rick
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Date Posted: Sunday, January 03, 02:20:17pm
To the Police and Citizens of Salt Lake City:
I want to tell you how very sorry I was to hear about the loss of your dog Koda. No words can express the sadness such a loss brings.
You can do something to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Several years ago, I was watching an episode of America's Most Wanted. A dog handler was called to the scene of a gun-weilding man who was in the middle of the street with a shot gun. The handler said that he had a feeling something bad was going to happen because all the way to the scene, the radio kept asking how much longer he'd be. Needless to say when he got there, he was told to release the dog. The dog was shot and later died in his handler's arms. We watched his death via the dash camera of a cruiser.
That show just about killed me. I cried watching it and I cried that night thinking about it. By Monday morning, I knew what I was going to do. I called the town police and asked to speak to the chief. When he heard my idea, he said, "Are you serious?" Yes, Sir. "We would accept that with honor." Then I called the head of the local detatchment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and presented the idea to him. His reaction was, "By all means." That afternoon I started calling companies that make bulletproof vests. Second Chance was one. Another was in Europe. But it was a Canadian company who supplies vests for dogs in the States, Europe, Asia and Canada that got my attention. It's called K-9 Storm. The conversation went like this:
Rick: Did you watch America's Most Wanted on Saturday night?
Storm: Yes.
Rick: What would happen if that dog was wearing your vest?
Storm: Same size dog, shot from the same distance with the same gun?
Rick: Yes.
Storm: It would have knocked him flat on his ass. Then he would have got back up and finished his shift.
Rick: I'll take two.
But I had no idea how I was going to pay for them. So I started asking individuals and companies for money. Only three people and three companies refused to help. The owner of an electrical supply store said he'd like to help but didn't have the money. He was laying people off. Then he said, "If there's any other way I can help, just ask." The owner of a fitness center asked if I wanted money or a membership. I didn't get it. She said, "I'll give you $25 or a two year membership worth $300." I took the membership, although I didn't know what I was going to do with it. A friend said, "Any company that can't give money, ask for a gift certificate." That's what I did. I went back to that electrical supply store and asked for a gift certificate. he asked what I was going to do with it and I admitted I had no idea but he gave me a free home service call valued at more than $100. In 3 weeks I had more than $2,000 worth of gift certificates, from pizzas to car washes to oil changes. I put them all in a basket and raffled them off and ended up with more than a thousand dollars in cash. The winner said, "My Christmas shopping is done and it only cost me $2." A dairy gave me certificates for a year's worth of ice cream. I raffled that off too. It took six weeks to raise $6,000 for the two vests.
While raising the money, I met a lady in a store. She said, "I am Corporal Mosher's wife. You're doing a good thing. He cannot lose another dog." Corporal Mosher's first dog's name was Bandit, and Bandit died, taking a knife that was meant for Corporal Mosher. His new dog's name was Chase, and embroidered into Chase's vest are the words, "In memory of Bandit."
For the life of me I cannot see any reason to send a dog out to work without giving him the same protection his handler has. The vests I bought are the best in the world. The officer can repell off buildings with the dog fastened between his legs. He can even parachute with the dog held the same way. The handler can use the vest for tracking or attack work. The dog can do anything with the vest that he can do without it. There are videos on the manufacturer's website.
All it takes is a couple of concerned citizens to do it. It doesn't take long.
After I presented the Mountie and his dog with the vest, I got a phone call from him. He said that because of what I did, an order has gone out stating that any handler who wants a vest for his dog, will have it paid for by the RCMP. So I didn't just buy a vest for one RCMP dog. I got a vest for all of them.
You can do the same thing. Make Koda's death into somethign special. If his death will save the life of another police services dog, than I am quite sure that Koda would be a very proud police offcer.
Godspeed Koda. You are in some very good company.
Rick Dupuis
Brookfield,
Nova Scotia, Canada
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