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‘Your very own K9 hero’

By Jon Sitler 3 min read

Warren County is fortunate to have not one but two K9 police officers in Nic and Dina.

While a few people may not enjoy having these dogs come a running', others -- namely school-age students -- get to meet them up close and get a Grade A education on what a drug-tracking dog can do.

They are heroes, and now kids can get up close and personal in a fun and positive way.

The Warren County K9 Fund is selling miniature stuffed animals of "your very own K9 hero."

"Choose from Warren County Sheriff's Office K9 Dina or Conewango Township Police Department K9 Nic," according to a Facebook flyer.

The fundraiser will benefit the K9 Fund, and continue to spread the good will -- for most -- through a personalized keepsake.

"A handler I met in training has had a lot of success selling these near Milwaukee and we thought it would be a great way to get the community involved," said Dina's handler Thomas Kibbey of the Warren County Sheriff's Department. "We found the company Hero Industries, Inc. in Corona, California, which customized the stuffed animals. We were able to speak with them and put some ideas together which resulted in the final design. I already know both kids and adults love them. My three-year-old son Easton carries his around the house and won't sleep without his Dina.

"Both K9 units are funded by donations, which make it possible to buy our equipment including our vehicles which need to be equipped to transport the K9s safely," said Kibbey. "It's great to have the community get involved. Beaty Middle School is currently holding a fundraiser to purchase safety goggles for Dina and Nic and another supporter just funded first aid/trauma kits for both teams to use during longer deployments such as criminal tracking and search-and-rescue missions."

We may be editorializing, but this is a cute idea.

To purchase for $25 each, contact Deputy Kibbey at tkibbey@warren-county.net, or see clerk Laura in the Sheriff's Office.

"The K9 heroes idea was Deputy Kibbey," said K9 Nic handler Officer Scott Neiswonger of Conewango Township Police Department. "He came to me about the idea and I thought it was fantastic. We have been looking for ideas and other things to raise money for the K9 fund this year. We have some expenditures coming up in the future and that is one of the ideas that Deputy Kibbey came up with. I think it's fantastic to actually send something home along with their donation. We've had an overwhelming support from our community for this program and we are truly blessed to have not one but two police K9 in this county. Nic has met so many kids in the time that he has been in Warren; it has really impacted the community. The kids absolutely love these dogs and it's a good learning tool to have us come and speak and talk about the dogs as well. The kids are so interested in how they work and the training it took to train these dogs and everything that goes into it."

Starting at /week.