After attending the funeral for Pittsburgh K-9 Rocco, who was stabbed to death trying to hold a fugitive in January, Officer Darhower wanted more protection for his own partner.
“We were down there, I saw all the K-9s, and the family led up, and I thought, I don’t want to be there, I don’t want to be in that position,” says Darhower, of the Carlisle Police Department.
Pedro is three years old, and he came to the department a year ago. They do it all together: drug detection, tracking, and apprehending criminals. Darhower hopes the dog is a “fear factor” most of the time, encouraging suspects to surrender. But that’s not always the case.
“Every time you let that dog go, it’s like letting go of your child,” Darhower says.
He found the nonprofit Vested Interests in K-9s, which provides expensive stab- and bullet- resistant vests to police dogs across the country.
It will be custom-fitted to Pedro’s measurements and arrive in the next couple of months.
The Carlisle Police Department takes donations for Pedro’s care. If you’d like to help, contact them at (717) 243-5252.