Release:
When Sheriff Paulk returned to office, he directed changes be made within the Sheriff’s Office canine Unit. Through those changes and with a vast amount of community support, the unit has added 3 more trained law enforcement dogs. One the new dogs, canine Saft was bought by the SAFT Cooperation and donated to the Sheriff’s Office.
Once the canine unit was fully staffed, Sheriff Paulk placed a priority on the extremely run down kennels to ensure the safety of the dogs housed there. Again through massive public support and the use of inmate labor, renovations totaling approximately $200,000 were completed with a minimal investment by the Sheriff’s Office. These renovations were greatly assisted and made possible by the generous donations of community partners, who include
Home Depot,
Lowes,
Mackey Lumber,
Will Insulation,
Valdosta Electric,
Lowndes Electric,
H&S Supply,
Flemming Williams,
Sherwin Williams Paint,
Culpepper Plumbing,
Scruggs Concrete,
Reams Concrete,
Connell Cabinets and many others these are just to name a few.
With the addition of staff and the remodeling complete it was time to put our skills to work. During the week of November 4 through the 8, 2019, a group of handlers and canines from the Sheriff’s Office competed in the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Nationals in Okaloosa County, Florida finishing 4th nationally as an agency team. The L.C.S.O. team consisted of Sergeant Herb Bennett (K-9 Thanos), Deputy Justin Tucker (K-9 Hyde), Deputy Keenon Green (K-9 Nya), Deputy Mike Welch (K-9 Saft) and Deputy Joe Suhr (K-9 Kiki).
While at the nationals, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office was selected to host the 2021 United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Nationals. Not only will the Sheriff’s Office host the Patrol Dog Nationals, but for the first time in many years we were approved to host the Detection Nationals at the same time. What does that mean? It means that approximately 200-300 law enforcement dog teams from across the nation will converge on Lowndes County in 2021. This also means is the Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the USPCA (a non-profit) will need a major amount of community support in all forms. Including sponsors, product donations for raffles, down to simple volunteering of your time. If you are interested in supporting the trials, contact us on Facebook, or Sergeant Bennett at 229-560-3648. We are working to assure the handlers and their families come to Lowndes County and leave with memories that make them want to return.
