You didn't ask for a vote of confidence. You asked about a specialty dog. And you're mad because you found out you can't get a dog for your agency for little or no cost or it might not be right for you. ?? Sheeesh.

I want a Ferrari for free, but you don't see me complaining about it.

Even though Larry has an attitude problem I will post a comment.

Many officers from small departments would like to get service dogs but don’t get department support because administrators either don’t care, are lazy, are stupid, don’t have the money, or all of the above. These officers are looking for a way.

The point is they would like to find a way. They don’t know that they need more than a dog. They need a dog and they need training. I am not sure this deserves a sarcastic answer. They just don’t know.

Fact is local communities should support local law enforcement through donations. There are local companies and service organizations that if asked are more than willing to help make their communities a safer place to live. These officers need to ask for more than a dog - they need to ask for training and a dog.

And a car....Don't forget the car <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Oh, A cage also, and collars..etc..etc <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Larry,

While there may not be many vendors that would provide you a lot of help for little or nothing, that does not mean there isn't help out there. First, contact some nearby police departments, even DPS and see if they will assit. When I'm training, I often include smaller departments, at no cost, to include inservice and certification. All they have to do is get the permission of thier department and be able to attend for the length of the course. While I agree with the posters there is no shortcut, there are avenues available if you are willing to put in the time and the effort. You might also want to contact DAD/DAC, they often times will provide training and a trained dog. I can't emphasize enough though the need for proper training. As you well know, it's easy enough for a law enforcement officer to be involved in bad case law, not having the proper training is just asking for it.

DFrost

i thank everyone for their input. i am not trying to become a k-9 officer without the proper training. however, i am trying to find every avenue i can to show the city counsel the cost can be lower than they expect. everything is about money and if it is not available, then its all up to me. thanks again to everyone for your input.

Why try to prove how cheap it can be (something's got to be lacking if it's cheap)? How about get some statistics and information from other departments on the advantages they have seen from having a detection dog? If you just go in trying to prove how cheaply you can get it done, they will not see it as you have looked at all facets and probably deny you.

If it were me, I'd get as much information from other small agencies as I could to show the city council how well it has worked out for other small towns, then propose a fund raiser or something similar (saves them some worry with the budget), then explain what all the money goes towards (dog, equipment, training, upkeep), then lastly tell them the ballpark price. Make sure you talk to a lot of vendors, agencies, K9 units, and pretty much overload yourself with information, so that when they ask the hard questions (which you know they will), you will be able to give them an intelligent answer. It also wouldn't hurt to stroke their egos by telling them that the community will realize that they are the ones that made it possible to provide this extra layer of security/safety...I mean, who cares if they get the credit if you get what you want, right?