JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – K9s United will hold a big fundraising event Saturday that will benefit four-legged law enforcement throughout Northeast Florida and beyond.
The 9K for K9s is set to start at 8 a.m. at the Ring Power headquarters (500 World Commerce Parkway) in St. Augustine.
The goal is to keep K9 officers safe in the line of duty by providing life-saving training, tools and gear.
This year’s event will honor the memory of a K9 officer recently killed while keeping his human partners safe.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office K9 Leo, who was killed by gunfire two months ago, will be remembered in a special way for his service to the community and his fellow officers.
Leo was shot Feb. 17 when a man wanted for battery and strangulation shot at deputies. They fired back and that man was killed.
Leo died three days later.
But Leo’s selfless service will be honored again later this month by the local nonprofit K9s United, which started in 2015.
Debbie Johnson is the founder and president. The charity continues to grow and lends a helping hand to law enforcement agencies in Florida and across the country.
“We support whatever the need is that is not being met within budget shortfalls,” Johnson said.
Those needs include equipment and free training seminars.
This year’s 9K for K9s race is inching closer.
There will be a few changes, including a new location at heavy equipment company Ring Power.
Johnson said this event is a way to show people the dangerous job she says these K9s have.
“We want the community to understand how valuable and how important our K9s are and the dangers that they face every single day to keep us safe,” Johnson said. “They are invaluable to me. They do so many things in the community. It is not just about taking down bad guys. It’s about finding missing children, missing elderly, taking drugs off the street.”
It’s a job St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office handler Corporal Robert Hill and K9 M’Baku know too well.
They have been working together for two years now.
“Countless hours of training,” Hill said of the job expectations. “These dogs are living, breathing, thinking beings. You constantly have to stay up on the training and make sure you guys are sharp.”
Hill mentions some of the resources agencies can acquire with assistance from K9s United.
“The big thing is the free training because training costs hundreds of dollars,” Hill said. “The heat alarm is a big thing that [Johnson] provides. That makes sure the dogs are safe in the car when we are out in the state of Florida, especially where it gets really hot.”
Each participant in this year’s race will get a medal that has K9 Leo’s face on it and his end-of-watch date.
They are also guaranteed to get a commemorative K9 Leo T-shirt if they register for the event by Friday.
Johnson says the goal this year is to raise at least $75,000 which will go toward helping more agencies.
Money from K9s United can end up helping K9s like K9 Star with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Star is a bloodhound and has been with the agency since 2017.
K9 Raven is relatively new with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
The German Shorthaired Pointer joined the force in February.
“Everybody loves fitness, right?” Johnson said. “We want to be able to provide some type of event that is outdoors that gives our community a chance to see the dogs in action.”
Information on how to register can be found here: https://www.k9sunited.org/events