Havoc, the sole member of the Shirley Police Department’s K-9 Unit, will have a broken tooth extracted next month, thanks in part to a grant awarded by the Hancock County Community Foundation. The 7-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix is a dual purpose dog, trained to both pursue suspects and track down drugs.
Photo provided
HANCOCK COUNTY – Havoc, the police K-9 for the Shirley Police Department, will soon be smiling a little brighter thanks to the Hancock County Community Foundation.
The 7-year-old German Shepherd hybrid will get some dental work done thanks to a mini-grant the police department received from the foundation.
The $800 grant was among four mini-grants the foundation recently issued to local nonprofits.
Other recipients include: the Frenzy Animal Rescue, which purchased a new furnace; the Hancock County Children’s Choir, which purchased street banners; and the Hancock Wellness Center in McCordsville, which used the money to create an outdoor garden to promote the importance of a nutritious diet.
The animal rescue’s grant was used to purchase a new furnace for its shelter, which houses small breed dogs and domesticated birds in New Palestine.
Gary and Betty, who run the Frenzy Animal Rescue, had been using space heaters to heat the shelter in a separate building behind their home after the furnace started going out a few months ago.
Betty Wilkins said the $1,000 grant covered about half the cost of the new furnace.
“The money was a real godsend. We couldn’t have paid for the new furnace without it,” she said.
Joanna Crump was equally excited about the $600 grant the children’s choir received to help purchase 20 new street banners, which will be displayed on the lightposts throughout downtown Greenfield each spring and winter.
“When you’re driving down Main Street and you see all of those banners, it’s really exciting. So we wanted to be a part of that,” said Crump, the choir’s director of finance. “We already have them printed and ready to hang in March.”
The choir chipped in the other half of the $1,200 needed to print the banners, which will promote the choir’s big spring concert as well as its holiday performance in December.
The grant awarded to the Hancock Wellness Center in McCordsville will be used to create a garden bed to promote the importance of eating a nutrient-rich diet.
“The produce from the garden will be offered to wellness center members and community members who visit the center,” said the center’s director, Joel Hungate.
The produce will also be used in cooking demonstrations to teach people how to incorporate vegetables into their diet, he said.
Good health was also the catalyst behind the grant awarded to the Shirley Police Department to help Havoc, who is scheduled to have a broken tooth extracted March 2.
A canine tooth, to be exact.
Havoc’s owner and handler, Shirley Police Chief Brian Pryor, said the grant was a great help in covering the cost of the surgery.
“While we only have one K-9 right now, we’ve had seven since the K-9 unit started in 2010, and all our dogs are self-funded,” said Pryor. “Our town doesn’t put any money into them at all, so our K-9 unit is funded by grants and donations.”
Having a healthy set of teeth is important for a dual-purpose police dog like Havoc, who is trained to both locate drugs and track down suspects on the run.
Pryor said the community foundation has been a great support to the police department over the years and has assisted with the purchase of body cameras, tasers and other equipment in the past.
The latest grants for both the police department and the wellness center were issued from the Hancock County Enrichment Fund, an unrestricted fund which addresses a broad range of needs.
This animal rescue’s grant was issued from the Sharon Yates Endowment Fund for the Care of Animals, which provides support for Hancock County organizations addressing the well-being of domestic animals.
The children’s choir grant was issued from the Greenfield Revitalization Inc. Banner Fund, which supports the purchase and maintenance of banners located in the downtown area.
