Results tagged “police dog” from South Bay Pets

My colleagure Larry Atman has written this update on a police dog that died last week. Readers, animal lovers and police supporters have rallied to help the Gardena Police Department get a new dog.

Larry, who has his own South Bay crime blog, writes:

An anonymous donor, South Bay companies and a group of residents have donated thousands of dollars to the Gardena Police Department to help officers pay for a new police dog.
The donations followed last week's death of Sammy, who tracked down criminals and sniffed out drugs. Sammy died following an illness.
Gardena police Sgt. Steve Prendergast said employees at Toyota Financial Services and Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance provided about $5,000 while Sammy was still alive to help pay for medical bills.
Following a Daily Breeze article on Friday about Sammy's passing, readers made donations, including a man who responded with $10,000. He wished to remain anonymous.
"He's just a very generous person," Prendergast said. "It's just a man who has a passion for animals and believes in giving back to the community. We are very appreciative."
Officers estimate it costs $10,000 to $12,000 to buy a new dog and train an officer.
Police dogs are funded by public donations.
A new dog is expected to be working in about two months, Prendergast said. Another dog currently is in training.

We were sad to hear that "Sammy," a Gardena police dog responsible for finding thousands of dollars in drugs -- and catching a few bad guys in the process -- died Tuesday.

The 6-year-old German shepherd from Germany had worked with Officer Bill McReynolds for the last three years, according to information compiled for us by Daily Breeze crime reporter Larry Altman.

Sammy became ill about a year ago after inhaling some kind of narcotic, possibly methamphetamine, while on a search, police said. He developed an unknown illness that put him out of action for the last three months.

Sammy found several suspects trying to flee from police in Gardena and other South Bay cities. Police said they'll try to replace him soon. But our hearts go out to Officer McReynolds who no doubt developed a special bond as he lived and worked with Sammy over the years. No dog, in that sense, can ever really be replaced.

Anyone wishing to donate to the K-9 fund should call Sgt. Steve Pendergast at 310-217-6188.