CHURCH DONATES FOR K-9 UNIT CARE

Leaders of Lake Church of Christ present funds to support officers

Members of Lake Church of Christ in Chardon gathered at the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office the morning of Feb. 23.

They were there to present Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand with a $700 donation to support the K-9 unit.

The Sheriff’s Office currently has four K-9 officers. One is trained in explosives detection and joined the department in 2015, while the other three K-9s and their handlers have been patrolling together for close to a decade.

Deputy Jim Dhayer and K-9 Miner, and Sgt. Jake Smith and K-9 Spirit, who each have been partnered with their dogs since 2012, were present to represent the unit.

The officers explained that each dog and their handler are certified together through the state of Ohio and the North American Police Work Dog Association, and form a close partnership through intensive training and bonding since each K-9 lives at their handler’s home.

According to Hildenbrand, the K-9 unit is supported

primarily by donations, which includes the initial purchase of the dogs, vet bills, food and boarding if their handler needs to go out of town and is unable to take them.

The sheriff said he was very appreciative to the congregation of Lake Church of Christ, which raised the money over the course of a couple months as a part of their mission to give back to a different cause every quarter of the year.

According to Bill Williams, a church elder, the congregation is still relatively small, but they have already completed projects such as a collection of winter clothes for Chardon Schools and a food drive for the Geauga County Veteran Food Pantry.

“We’re just trying to grow, and to us this is a way of reaching out to the public and letting them know we’re here,” Williams said.

“So it’s nice, and we’ve really enjoyed it.”

Williams added that he has known Hildenbrand for a long time, and upon reaching out to him to see how the church might be able to help support his department, the sheriff suggested supporting the K-9 division.

SHEENA HOLLAND DOLAN — THE NEWS-HERALD Geauga County Deputy Jim Dhayer and K-9Miner, left, and Sgt. Jake Smith and K-9Spirit stopped in for a visit while Lake Church of Christ members presented their unit with a donation.

SHEENA HOLLAND DOLAN — THE NEWS-HERALD Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand accepts a $700donation to support the K-9unit from the leadership of Lake Church of Christ in Chardon.