Recently, a few of us on the Big Barker team had the privilege to spend the afternoon at the Allentown Police Academy in Allentown, PA, where we donated beds to ten deserving K9s and their handlers from Allentown, Bethlehem Township, Colonial Regional, Salisbury, and Lower Saucon police departments. The sun was out, the dogs were excited, and Mayor Pawlowski was kind enough to stop by to recognize the efforts of the K9 teams and to thank us for the donation.
The teams on hand at the Allentown Police Academy to receive their beds in person included:
- K9 Harley and Officer Andrew Fegley
- K9 Rocket and Officer Jason Laky
- K9 Django and Officer Jonathon Smith
- K9 Fedor and Officer Jason Howells
- K9 Remi and Officer Talden Cashatt
- K9 Eyra and Officer Cody Hendershot
- K9 Hugo and Officer Bryan Tollinger
- K9 Canto and Lieutenant Charles Roca
“These dogs do a lot of difficult work and they earn a good night’s rest,” said Allentown Police Chief Keith Morris. “The donation from Big Barker is very generous and I know that our department appreciates it very much.”
Officer Smith and K9 Django, Officer Howells and K9 Fedor, Assistant Chief Dorney, Chief Morris, Lieutenant Roca and K9 Canto, Officer Cashatt and K9 Remi
The K9s were very vocal during the whole event! “The dogs barked throughout the presentation ceremony because they want to try them out,” quipped Mayor Ed Pawlowski. “I want to add my thanks to Big Barker. I am sure that the dogs will find the beds to be very comfortable.”
Big Barker President Eric Shannon speaking to the crowd with Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski
Eric & the rest of the Big Barker team is super passionate about recognizing the invaluable contributions that K9s make to law enforcement. He told the crowd:
“Police K9s work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, and it is an honor to be able to provide them with beds that allow them to them rest comfortably. Most larger dogs will experience some degree of joint pain over the course of their lives, and our beds are designed to prevent and help alleviate any pain that they might face. Working dogs are even more susceptible. These dogs are extremely active, so having a bed that supports them and keeps their joints off of the floor is key in maintaining their levels of mobility.”
The event was well covered by the local press, check out the coverage here:
The officers were really gracious, and each of the dogs got a chance to try out his new bed while posing for a picture. You can check out the slideshow published in The Morning Call here (click the picture to see all 20 photos):
After the event, we hung out with a few of the officers, who shared some exciting stories and filled us in on what it’s like to work with their best buds every day. We even got to see how a police car that is outfitted for a K9 works—the technology is impressive!
K9 police cars are equipped with loads of special gadgets and technology
Kerry even got to put on a bite sleeve so that K9 Django could demonstrate his training—can you imagine if he didn’t have that sleeve on?!?
It is a real treat for us to meet these hardworking officers and the dogs who will now be using our beds. Seeing these dogs up close and personal really reminds us of why we do what we do every day 🙂 Thanks to everyone who participated in the event, especially K9s Harley, Rocket, Django, Fedor, Remi, Eyra, Hugo, and Canto!
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