Cape Girardeau area students asked to help raise funds to buy police dogs

As the Cape Girardeau Police Department prepares to retire its two canines, Bolo and Toben, in 2009, the Pay for the Pups project will again kick into gear to help fund the purchase and training of two new dogs.

Six years ago, Pay for the Pups, a cooperative effort between the police department, the Southeast Missourian Jr. and local schools, raised more than $18,000 to help pay for Toben and Bolo, according to program organizer Cheryl Ellis.

Pay for the Pups encourages classrooms to host fundraising events, giving students an investment in the purchase of the new dogs.

The amount needed to buy and train new canines has already been cut in half by a donation of $12,000 from the Cape Girardeau Kiwanis Club, police chief Carl Kinnison said.

Any classroom that does fundraising work will be featured in the Southeast Missourian Jr.

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.comJeff Bourbon, left, played the suspect for a tracking and biting drill for Roy Rahn's dog, Bolo, on Jan. 28 near Cape Girardeau during a training session for the Cape Girardeau Police Department K-9 Unit. Bolo, who is 8 years old, is due for retirement as soon as a replacement is bought.

When the department bought Toben and Bolo, it was their first experiment using two dogs, and they trained both dogs at the same time, Kinnison said.

This time, they'd like to retire Bolo, who is 8 years old, first to allow a transition period so Bolo's handler, officer Roy Rahn, can get used to working with a new canine while an experienced dog, Toben, is still on the street.

Once the new dog is acclimated, Toben, who is 7, would be retired and replaced.

Toben and Bolo would likely live with their current partners after their retirement or be given to someone accustomed to handling police canines to live out their golden years.

The police department typically spends about $14,000 per year for food, veterinary care and training of its canines, but the estimated $24,000 it will cost to replace Toben and Bolo is not in the budget.

Last year, Toben, who was injured during pursuit of a suspect, incurred about $1,200 in vet bills for treatment, but it wasn't near the cost of getting a new dog, Kinnison said.

In the past six years, Toben and Bolo have been used more than 1,600 times, Ellis said.

The use of the dogs has proved an invaluable tool for the department, Kinnison said.

"We've arrested people using the dogs that we never would have arrested otherwise," Kinnison said.

The dogs allow officers to recover drugs from houses and vehicles much faster and more efficiently. The animals can track suspects immediately after an incident, such as a burglary or robbery.

"We just aren't that efficient or effective without them," he said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

388-3635