AKC Reunite Donates Over Half a Million Dollars
to Police Departments in 2021
Grants Matched Through Adopt a K-9 Cop Program
AKC Reunite, the largest non-profit pet microchip identification and recovery service provider in the United States, is pleased to announce $526,500 in donations to K-9 units throughout the country through its AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop matching grant program in 2021. Funds were raised by contributions from AKC dog clubs and community members, with AKC Reunite matching donations at a three-to-one ratio.
The Adopt a K-9 Cop program allows AKC Reunite to match funds from AKC Clubs, AKC affiliated organizations and the public, three-to-one, up to $7,500 per grant through the Canine Support and Relief fund. These donations help police departments throughout the United States purchase K-9 police dogs. Many of the police dogs acquired with the help of these grants are used as patrol dogs as well as detection dogs, helping to locate narcotics, explosives and/or evidence.
“More than $500,000 has been donated through the Adopt a K-9 Cop matching grant program in 2021 and we hope to grow that number in 2022,” said Tom Sharp, AKC Reunite CEO. “The grants donated to K-9 units across the nation helps them acquire new police dogs, contributing to increased safety in their communities.”
The most recent grants were donated to the following police departments:
| State | Police Department(s) |
|---|---|
| California | Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office |
| Colorado | Loveland Police Department (two grants) |
| Georgia | Jacksonville Police Department |
| Iowa | Decorah Police Department |
| Minnesota | Kanabec Police Department St. Cloud Police Department |
| Mississippi | Hattiesburg Public School District Police Department Jones County Sheriff’s Department |
| North Carolina | Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and Currituck County Sheriff’s Office |
| North Dakota | Jamestown Police Department |
| Ohio | Jackson Center Police Department |
| Oklahoma | Locust Grove Police Department McClain County Sheriff’s Office Okmulgee County Criminal Justice Authority Roland Police Department Salina Police Department Tulsa Oklahoma Police Department (three grants) |
| South Carolina | Greenville County Sheriff’s Office |
Contributing clubs for these donations include the United States Police Canine Association, the Upper Iowa Training Club, Inc., the Greenville Kennel Club and the Lost Coast Kennel Club.
A total of 95 Adopt a K-9 Cop grants have been awarded since the inception of the program. Learn more about how to get involved in AKC Reunite Adopt a K-9 Cop program and see pictures and stories of dogs already donated at https://www.akcreunite.org/k9/.
