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Interview with Rich Britton 10/24/2011
on
Passionate About Pets WCHE 1520 AM
Keystone Veterinarian,
Official Publication of the Pennsylvania Medical Association
www.pavma.org Volume II, 2011
  
K-9s give demonstration, get equipment at fair
By George Mattar Staff writer
Calkins Media, Inc.
Mike Decher, founder of the P.A. K-9 Assistance
Foundation holds a device that will alert a K-9 officer that he or shes vehicle
is too hot for their dog. A similar unit cost $1,000.00. A police K-9
demonstration was hled at the Grange Fair at the main horse arena where Falls
police and others demonstrated to the crowd how police dogs work.
Rick Kintzel / Staff Photographer
In June, a police K-9 in New Castle, Pa., was left in a car
during an investigation and the temperature inside soared.
It got so hot inside the car, the dog died, said Northampton
Officer Mike Decher, who wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.
On Thursday at the Middletown Grange Fair, Decher and his wife,
Kim, who operate PA K-9 Assistance presented two heat-sensing machines to the
Middletown police department.
These units are the most important equipment a K-9 can have,
Decher told a large audience, which stopped to watch a K-9 demonstration at the
fairs horse corral.
The units, which cost $1,000 each and are made by the Ray Allen
Co. in Colorado, mount in a police cruiser and can monitor how hot or cold the
interior of the vehicle is, Decher said.
When it gets either too hot or cold, the sensor trips and sounds
an alarm alerting the officer and if too hot, actually rolls down the vehicles
windows, Decher added.
Middletown K-9 Officer Jeff Swenson said he used to have a
sensor in his patrol vehicle, but it broke about five years ago. He was glad to
receive a new one Thursday.
It can get very hot inside the car and if I have to leave Max
alone, then I will have the assurance to know hes OK. It can get more than 100
degrees inside the car, Swenson said.
Falls K-9 Officer Jim McCaffrey, who attended Thursdays event,
has a heat sensing machine mounted in his Chevy Tahoe police vehicle.
If it gets too hot, the windows roll down. Even though we leave
the engines running and the air conditioner on, if the engine fails, then it
could get dangerously hot inside. As far as Im concerned, the heat sensing unit
is more important than a bullet-proof vest for the dog, McCaffrey said.
The PA K-9 Assistance group accepts donations from the public
and corporations. It then turns the money over to police departments to fund
training and buy equipment .
k-9 Falls Township K-9 Police Officer Jim McCaffrey has a
smaller version temperature alert system in his vehicle while at the Grange
Fair. There was a police K-9 demonstration at the Grange Fair in the main horse
arena where Falls police and others demonstrated to the crowd how police dogs
work.
Rick Kintzel / Staff Photographer
 k-9 Bristol Township Police Officer Steve Sanocki who is
portraying as a criminal is subdued by Falls Townships K-9 Thor during a
demonstration at the Grange Fair Thursday.
Rick Kintzel / Staff Photographer
Posted:
Friday, August 19, 2011 5:00 am
Originally Published: 5/172011
Dog vests from Berks help in Philadelphia, Bucks
In Reporters' Notebook,
our staff members share some of the stories behind the news.
Criminals in Jenkintown, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia beware.
Rocky and Chance are well dressed and ready for action, thanks to Jynx and Arez.
In January, we
ran a story about Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht's K-9 officers donating
two used bulletproof vests to the PA K9 Assistance Foundation.
The dogs gave theirs up after the Animal Rescue League of Berks County provided
two new vests that were better.
Why not? The used vests were in excellent condition.
Mike Decher, a police officer in Northampton Township, Bucks County and operator
of the foundation, recently emailed me to let me know what happened to the
donated vests.
Rocky, partnered with Jenkintown Police Sgt. Rick Tucker, got a vest to protect
him while he sniffs out narcotics, chases down criminals and helps find missing
people.
Chance, partnered with Philadelphia Officer Barry Delagol, got the other to
protect him while he sniffs out explosives and apprehends criminals.
Both are German shepherds, just like Jynx and Arez.
- Mary Young
reporter
Originally Published: 1/14/2011
Hand-me-down vests could save police dogs' lives
Hand-me-downs are not
usually welcomed enthusiastically by the recipients, but will be by one
exclusive group that's quite particular about what their members wear.
The donors are named Jynx, who specializes in explosives detection, and Arez,
who specializes in narcotics detection. They work for Berks County Sheriff
Eric J. Weaknecht.
The recipient is the PA K9 Assistance Foundation.
Jynx' partner, Deputy Kyle Pagerly, said the Animal Rescue League of Berks
County provided two new bulletproof vests for Jynx and Arez, handled by
Deputy Danny Voorhies.
The new ones are a
better model than what they had, but the old ones are still in excellent
condition and would keep two other dogs safe, Pagerly said.
"Funding is tough, especially for K-9 (units)," he said. "They require a lot
of equipment, and it's expensive. Anything they can get for free is going to
help a department."
Weaknecht said Berks is fortunate because all the food is donated for Jynx
and Arez, and the county receives donations such as the vests.
The county commissioners are supportive and provide the rest of the money in
his budget, he said.
Michael P. Decher, a police officer in Northampton Township, Bucks County,
and operator of the nonprofit foundation, said other departments are not so
lucky.
K-9 is considered a specialty unit, and usually takes the first hit during
budget cuts, he said.
He said his own department was planning to re-establish a K-9 unit, but
backed off when he already had raised enough money to buy vests for two
dogs.
So last year he set up the foundation as sort of a clearinghouse for
collecting donations and using the money to buy K-9 units whatever they
need, including heat sensors that alert handlers if the temperature or
carbon monoxide level inside their vehicles gets too high for the dogs.
"There's no other organization that does what we do," Decher said. "If they
need a lead, we'll get them a lead. If they need a harness, we'll get the
harness."
Decher stays in touch with the dog handlers via a Facebook page.
Pagerly was one of the first to become a regular follower, so he knew what
to do with the hand-me-downs.
"It feels good to help a department that can't afford something for a
handler or a dog," he said. "Mike Decher will make sure they get to the
right organizations. He works for the whole state."
Contact Mary Young: 610-478-6292 or myoung@readingeagle.com
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ReadingEagle: Tim Leedy
From
left, Berks County Deputy Kyle Pagerly and canine partner Jynx; Michael P.
Decher, PA K9 Assistance Foundation; Berks Sheriff Eric J. Weaknecht; and
Deputy Danny Voorhies and canine partner Arez. The Berks sheriff's
department is donating two used bulletproof vests for dogs to the
foundation, which will give them to a K-9 unit in the state
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Dogged determination spurs protection for K-9s
By: BILL DEVLIN
The Intelligencer
A candy shop will present special vests for police officers' four-legged
friends in Warminster and Quakertown.
Who would have thought that taking a bite out of crime could taste so
sweet?
A Peddler's Village candy shop, which has been raising money to aid
police K-9 units in Bucks County, planned to present two ballistic and
stab-resistant dog vests next week to the police chiefs of Warminster and
Quakertown.
The vests, which cost more than $800 each, were purchased with funds
raised by Kim Pietrak-Decher, the owner of Skip's Candy Corner, and her
husband, Northampton police Officer Michael P. Decher.
For the past two years, the shop has been setting aside a percentage of
the sales of their pet-related products and gift baskets to purchase the
vests.
The Plumstead husband and wife believe the vest donations are just the
beginning of their efforts to raise funds for and draw public attention to
the needs of these special units.
"There is nothing in Pennsylvania to support these dogs," said Kim
Decher.
Well, now there is.
The couple is in the process of forming the Pa K9 Assistance
Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to aid "underfunded" K-9 squads
locally, statewide and, eventually, nationally.
Mike Decher said many police departments view the K-9 units as
specialty items and are not willing to expend funds from their budgets.
Warminster has the only canine unit in Central Bucks; Quakertown the sole
squad in Upper Bucks.
"When budget cuts come, the special units like the K-9 units are first
to get the ax," he said. "Some of the units, like Quakertown's, are funded
by donations."
In June 2008, Quakertown Borough Council authorized the K-9 unit after
it had received donations and pledges in excess of $9,400, the cost of
starting the unit.
"On the average, K-9 officers spend about $500 out of their own pockets
on their dogs," Decher said.
The financial strain of operating the units is one of the reasons the
Dechers have started the Pa K9 Assistance Foundation. The other motivation
for the fundraising is the work that's done by the units.
He said that the units in both municipalities have received hundreds of
calls for service to sniff out narcotics, apprehend fleeing criminals and
subdue armed suspects.
"I think some suspects are more afraid of a dog than they are of a
gun," Decher said. "Criminals are a lot less likely to commit crimes in an
area where they know there is a K-9 unit."
The vests that chief Michael Murphy of Warminster and chief Scott
McElree of Quakertown will receive for their squads are top of line and
will furnish the dog with protection from handguns and shotguns, as well
as knives and even ice picks.
The Dechers said that the vests aren't the only pieces of equipment the
foundation will be purchasing for the units.
They want to provide heat sensors and cooling units for the cars that
transport the dogs.
"There have been dogs who have suffered heat-related deaths because of
being left in the car," Decher said. "There are devices out there that can
prevent that from happening."
Kim Decher said that the fledgling foundation has received help from
High Octane Dog Agility, a canine training facility in Doylestown and
Vest-A-Dog.
The Blue Bell-based law firm of Fox Rothschild is doing the legal work
to obtain tax-exempt non-profit status for the foundation to allow
donations to Pa K9 Assistance to be tax-deductible.
The Dechers, who have three dogs, love animals. They believe a lot
people share that love.
"People come into the candy store and see the sign seeking donations,
and they give," Kim said.
The store also sells white-coated dog biscuits and other dog treats.
Proceeds from the sale of those items go to the foundation.
"We love animals," Kim Decher said, "Starting our foundation so close
to Valentine's Day seems just right."
The foundation's Web site can be accessed at www.pak9assistance.org.
Bill Devlin can be reached at 215-345-3179 or wdevlin@phillyBurbs.com.
February 11, 2010 02:32 AM
Press Release
PA Police K9 Teams receive Level 2 Ballistic Vests as a
gift. PA K9 Assistance non-profit is forming to help Police K9 Teams.
2 Pennsylvania K9 teams will receive ballistic vests for
Valentines Day, instead of candy.
Lahaska, PA, February 11,
2010: Two Bucks County Police Departments will receive donations of
ballistic vests for their K9 Officers. K9 Teams from Quakertown Borough and
Warminster Township will receive the ballistic and stab resistant vests as the
result of a sales campaign by the owners of Skip's Candy Corner, shop #27, in
Peddlers Village, Lahaska PA.
For the last two years,
Skip's Candy Corner has been setting aside a percentage of the sales of their
pet related products and gift baskets to vest a police k9. In researching the
needs of several local Police Departments, store owner Kimberly Pietrak-Decher
and her husband, who is also a Police Officer, Michael Decher, have made it
their mission to provide ballistic vests and other much needed safety and
training equipment for established K9 teams in need throughout Pennsylvania.
With the assistance of friends from High Octane Dog Agility, Vest A Dog, and Fox
Rothschild, LLC, they have initiated the formation of a non-profit organization
under the name of the Pa K9 Assistance Foundation.
The mission of the Pa K9
Assistance Foundation is provide under funded K9 teams with needed safety and
training equipment that is necessary or will aid them in the performance of
their important jobs. Donations from generous individuals, groups,
businesses or organizations will be accepted and sought out to fund this
foundation. Departments with K9 teams in need will be located by members of the
foundation to provide assistance with obtaining the equipment or necessary
training vital to keeping the citizens and Police Officers in our communities
safe.
This foundation is in it's
infancy and the 501(c)(3) status is currently pending. To obtain further
information, or find out how you can help please go to www.PAK9Assistance.org
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