Most people will usually share posts of animals who need homes on social media. But one Nebraskan police department is going to extra lengths.
The La Vista Police department came up with an initiative called K9 for a Day, where they allow dogs from their local Nebraska Humane Society shelter, to become a K9 dog for a day and go around town with an officer as a means of increasing their visibility and chances for adoption.
The decision to take the dogs out regularly came after their first ride-along, Mickey, who was a bully breed, proved to be a huge success. Mickey charmed the whole community and got adoption offers in the days following his ride-along.
The Department Captain, Officer Bryan Waugh, says that in addition to helping the dogs get away from the stress of life in the shelter, the K9 for a Day program is also beneficial to their department. Adding a dog to their patrols helps to not only spark people’s interest, but it provides cops an opportunity to interact with the community – thus strengthening community ties between civilians and officers.
