Photo courtesy of Jefferson County Sheriff's Office social media

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is in the process of expanding its K9 Program, and is seeking donations from the public to help with this endeavor.

Donations will go towards the purchase of their newest K9, Kalo. Kalo is from Lukas K9 in Poland, and was connected with the Sheriff’s Office by Tree Town Kennels LLC in Forest City. With the Sheriff’s Office’s current K9 Cy nearing retirement, the goal is to train Kalo over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. Kalo has been in the United States for about a month, and will soon be paired with his handler, Deputy Austin Almon.

Expecting to be united this week, Deputy Almon and Kalo will spend the next few weeks bonding before heading off to K9 school. Kalo will be a dual-purpose K9, specializing in narcotics detection and tracking. Following their training, the two are expected to be patrolling the streets by April. When asked about this opportunity, Deputy Almon expressed his enthusiasm to KCII. “It’s awesome. I’m super excited about it. I’ve always wanted to be a K9 handler. I’ve always been fascinated with how the dog works and how the relationship is between the handler and the dog.”

Anyone interested in donating to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K9 fund can drop them off at the station or email aalmon@jeffersoncoiowa.com.