Bellingham’s newest K-9, a bomb detection dog, meets city council
K-9 Raven, the newest member of the Bellingham Police Department’s Hazardous Devices Unit, was introduced to The Bellingham City Council Monday, Jan. 27.
The dog was purchased by Keeping K-9s in Kevlar from the Pacific Coast K-9 in Custer to work with Bomb Technician Officer Benjamin Horton, according to a news release from the non-profit.
Officer Horton and K-9 Raven need 400 hours of training to be certified, the release said, but once they are, they will serve communities from Marysville to the Canadian border “keeping ports, airports, borders, schools and communities safe.”
Officer Horton is the first bomb technician from the Bellingham Police Department to be trained as an explosive detection K-9 handler, according to the release. Once trained, he and K-9 Raven will be on call 24/7. Officer Horton averaged 20 to 50 calls in Whatcom County per year, the release said, and can be deployed anywhere in the nation if needed.
K-9 Raven is the fourth police dog on the Bellingham Police force, joining K-9 Destro, K-9 Rudy and K-9 Prowl, Keeping K-9s in Kevlar founder Kendra Cook told The Bellingham Herald. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has three more — K-9 Hyde, K-9 Elliot and K-9 JAG.
While K-9 Raven’s duties will not require a Kevlar vest, Cook said Whatcom County’s six other police dogs are vested.
Keeping K-9s in Kevlar — a Whatcom County-based non-profit that raises funds to purchase K9 Storm Patrol SWAT Kevlar vests — has helped vest 80 K-9s in 10 different states, Cook said. Each vest costs between $2,350 and $2,600.
The group, which is under the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Support Foundation, has donated more than $50,000 to Whatcom County law enforcement agencies for K-9 Kevlar vests and other safety needs, including a $28,000 Intruder Camera System for the sheriff’s office, Cook said.
The organization also is about halfway toward raising $20,000 for a new obstacle course to help area K-9s and their handlers get the 200 hours of annual training required, Cook said.
Though sheriff’s deputy Jason Nyhus — K-9 Hyde’s handler — has drawn plans for the obstacle course, Cook said one to two acres of land for the course is still needed. Cook said the organization hopes to find a dry area, without neighbors who would be upset about barking dogs, flash grenades and real-life training noises and away from fast-moving traffic, schools and walkways where children might be present.
A previous training course was located near the old Kmart building, but the city took the land back to add an on-ramp for freeway expansion, Cook said.
Once the new course is completed, all K-9s in Whatcom and Skagit counties will have access to train, Cook said.
How you can help
▪ Help with training: Whatcom County business owners interested in allowing K-9 units training experience in their building after work hours can contact Kendra Cook at KeepingK9sinKevlar@gmail.com.
▪ Donate land: If you have land that could be used for the training course, Tracy Peterson-Nienaber, an agent with John L. Scott Real Estate, will donate her services to make the donation to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Support Foundation tax-deductible. Contact Peterson-Nienaber at 360-510-2554 or TracyPetersonNienaber@Johnlscott.com.
▪ Donate money: Tax-deductible donations can be made to: Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Support Foundation, c/o Keeping K-9s in Kevlar, 3901 Airport Way, Bellingham, WA, 98226 (note “For Local K-9 Training and Safety”). Online donations can be made through a PayPal account by clicking the “Learn More” button on the Keeping K-9s in Kevlar Facebook page.
