A new fund has been created in the City of Washington financials, specifically set aside for K-9 donations and fundraisng.

At a recent meeting, the council approved the creation of the fund and learned that the current K-9 will be retiring soon, as will handler officer Brent Sorrells, “I’m going to be retiring here, the current dog is 10 years dog, he’ll be 11 by the time I retire. He will retire with me, and let’s make it sooner than later, I guess. And try to get him started with another one.”

Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman said the program has been a positive one for the city and they look forward to getting a new dog and training a new officer to keep it going, “It’s been extremely positive for us public relation-wise with adults and kids, and it’s helped the department greatly, I think. Between the two dogs, they’ve gotten over $1 million in drugs over the lifespan of the dog, plus there’s just many benefits that go along with the program. So it’s just something I support strongly and hope we can continue.”

The cost for a dog and training is approximately $17,000. Goodman said they’ve already received a $1,000 donation from Wal-Mart.