SASKATOON – A ceremony was held Sunday in Saskatoon to officially launch the Stryker K-9 Care Fund. It will assist owners of retired police dogs that are no longer fighting crime with the RCMP or a municipal police force in Saskatchewan.
A fundraiser was also held at Saskatoon police headquarters to help pet owners with the cost of routine and emergency veterinary care.
The fund was named in honour of Stryker, a dog who served with the Saskatoon police canine unit from 1998 to 2005. Two years after retirement, he developed a life-threatening stomach condition and underwent three surgeries in an unsuccessful attempt to save his life.
Stryker’s family was left with more than $5,000 in veterinary bills.
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The Saskatchewan SPCA has committed $10,000 for the first year of the program.
“We’ve been waiting for this to happen basically for seven years, we’ve been kind of working on it on and off and for us it’s going to be huge,” said Constance Roussel, president of the Saskatchewan SPCA.
“These are police dogs from either RCMP or any police force in Saskatchewan. So it’s not specific to one police force.”
Pet owners of retired police dogs may apply for up to $1,000 per year from the fund.
Amber Rockliffe contributed to this story
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