The Sac County Sheriff’s Office K-9, Petey, was recently retired and Sheriff, Ken McClure, says he was an invaluable member of their team for about six years.
Petey now lives as a pet in the home of his handler, Sgt. Jonathan Meyer. Once the decision for a change was made, the Sheriff’s Office put out a notice to the community and started fundraising for Petey’s replacement.
The support they received ran the gamut from one of the youngest female residents of the county, Mia Muggenberg, to local businesses.
There were some special circumstances that allowed the department to replace Petey with two dual purpose dogs in a great deal from Code 2 K-9 in Omaha, Neb.
Sgt. Meyer has been assigned a German Shepherd named Havoc and Deputy Francisco Cruz has been assigned a Belgian Malinois named Roco. The dogs were delivered on the last day of August, but they are still working on equipping the vehicles for the extra dog that includes kennel inserts, internal thermostats to ensure the K-9 is not exposed to extreme temperature changes and special electronics called a “hot pop” that will release a specific door if the handler needs the dog’s assistance. McClure says they are still taking donations for program operations and things such as veterinary services, food and maintenance expenses. For more information or to make a donation, contact the Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127.
