Mickey the 6-year-old Bull-Terrier mix has finally found a new family thanks to the ‘K-9 for a day program.’
This October, the LA Vista Police Department teamed up with the Nebraska Humane society animal shelter to take the dogs to accompany the police officers for a day and to encourage dog adoptions.
As Mickey sat up at the front of the police cruiser pointing his nose out of the window, he not only has some time away from the shelter — which can be a stressful environment for animals — but he even received his own badge at the LA Vista headquarters!
“It seemed like a win-win for both of us, where we could definitely continue our programs with involving our community, but also help the Humane Society find a great home for a great dog,” Captain Bryan Waugh, with the LVPD, said.
After being spotted in the media, Mickey has now been adopted by an eager-eyed Shannon Andresen. Having totally fallen in love with the Bull-Terrier, Andresen explains, “he’s so perfect that I can’t get over it.”
“The dogs are more relaxed, and they are able to showcase their personalities as they interact in a more normal, natural way,” says Pam Wiese, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Humane Society.
There are other programs very similar to K-9 for a Day. such one in Green Bay, Wisconsin that offers consultation and behavioral assessment for dogs.
The La Vista Police department are keen to repeat this puppy patrol at least once a month, with high hopes following Mickey’s success. “Oftentimes animals that are out of this environment have a better chance of getting adopted — if people see them in a normal environment rather than here,” Wiese said.
While there is a common misbelief that animals end up in shelters because they make ‘bad pets’ or are ‘undesirable,’ this couldn’t be further from the truth. A considerable number of dogs are abandoned when their owners move or struggle to provide decent living facilities, or even if the cost of keeping a pet is too high.
“We’ll get out in the community and do community policing that we definitely embrace and hopefully help the Humane Society find a great home for Mickey and other dogs in the future,” Waugh said.
Though so many dogs are abandoned, all of them deserve the chance to find a happy home.
