HARRISBURG, Pa. — Thanks to a donation from the Linglestown American Legion Post 272, K9 officers with the Lower Paxton Township Police Department will be able to relax after a hard day's work with a nice, warm bath.
The department's three K9 officers perform duties ranging from patrols, narcotics detection, and fire investigations, Lower Paxton Township Police said.
"During the course of their duties, the K-9s often become very dirty from the situations they encounter," the department said.
Thanks to the American Legion Post 272, those officers will now be able to clean up. The police department recently used the funds to purchase and install a K9 bath location, and all three K9 officers have already used it.
"These are family dogs," said Lower Paxton Township Police Sgt. Richard Needham. "They come home with us, so it's very important for us after the end of our shift if they are involved in a situation where they get raw sewage or they get involved in a fire and they're dirty that we're able to clean them. Everybody loves dogs, but there is a cost to maintain the dogs through their lifespan."
The facility is open to K9 officers from other departments as well, Lower Paxton Township Police said.
K9 bathing units like the one Lower Paxton Township Police purchased can typically cost up to $3,000, the department said.