The Conversation
Police Officers Partner With Shelter To Help Dogs Get Adopted
Everyone knows how much dogs love riding in cars. But getting to cruise around town in a cop car? That's taking it to the next level.
The Toledo Police Department in Ohio has partnered with Lucas County Canine Care & Control (LC4) as part of their 'Dogs on the Town' program that encourages people to take the dogs out in the community to increase the animals' chances of getting adopted.
LC4 started the program earlier this year to get the dogs out of their shelter cages for a while and to spread awareness about the many animals they have available for adoption.
The program is called "DOTT with a Cop," and the shelter has already sent a few pups out with police officers for play dates.
"We have a very big social media platform," Andrew Dlugosielski, assistant public information officer, told NBC 24. "Chief Kral is very big on community policing and getting out in the community and we thought what better way than to partner with their DOTT program?"
One of the first dogs TPD took out, a pit bull mix named Princess, was quickly adopted – but not before she was spoiled with treats and belly rubs by the officers.
"We both reach kind of a different audience so by sharing and having this partnership, we're reaching way more people out in our community," said Cassie Bloomfield, community outreach coordinator for LC4..
The officers have pledged to take a different dog "out on the town" every week with stops in different neighborhoods and local businesses.
"There's a lot of dogs here that are always up for adoption and sometimes they might have a negative connotation with people that they're a dog that's in a shelter, maybe it's been through something bad or maybe it's just the breed they don't understand," Dlugosielski said. "Taking a dog like that out in the community shows people that these are normal dogs, these are loving dogs, they're just looking for a home too and they're a perfect fit from anywhere."
Eventually, the officers hope to take the dogs to visit schools in the area to teach kids the proper way to interact with animals and to not be afraid of them.
What a sweet way to help the dogs find their "furr-ever" homes. Thanks to the Toledo Police Department for stepping outside their roles to help animals in their town.
