K-9 unit seeks young recruits

As the first class of Glendale police K-9 dogs nears retirement, officials are ramping up fundraising efforts for a donor-supported program to buy replacements.

The K-9s have started to show their age and will need to retire and be replaced with pups within the next two or three years, Glendale Police Officer Shawn Sholtis said.

“You can definitely see them starting to slow down,” he said. “The job puts wear and tear on their bodies, just like ours.”

To replace the highly-skilled dogs, Sholtis and fellow police handlers must raise funds to purchase and train new K-9s. Sam, Yudy, Marlin and Quwai currently make up the K-9 unit.

The dogs are trained for basic patrol, tracking suspects and missing persons and sniffing out narcotics and explosives.

The current class of dogs will show off their best tactical skills at the 2nd Annual K-9s in the Park event, which is aimed at raising funds for new pups.

Police dog handlers created Glendale K-9s in the Park last year in an effort to raise funds for their unit, which is supported through public donations and profits from T-shirt sales, Sholtis said.

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