MONTAGUE — If you’re lost in the woods and the sun is dipping below the horizon, the Montague Police Department employs one animal that you’ll be very happy to see. If you happen to be trafficking drugs, however, it’d likely be very much the opposite.
But to use his skills, K-9 Artie, the department’s utility police dog for the past three years, has to get to the scene of the emergency. That’s why Officer James Ruddock has been campaigning for donations for the last year to purchase a new, state-of-the-art cruiser custom designed for Artie’s needs.
Now, an anonymous donor has offered to match any donations made to the cause until December to make sure Artie gets the new cruiser by the end of the year.
Ruddock needs to raise an additional $16,000 to be able to purchase the cruiser. So far he has raised more than $24,000.
The donor has already donated $1,000 toward the $16,000 goal, leaving $15,000 still to raise. They will match up to a total of $7,500.
“We’re calling them Artie’s Guardian Angel. They did the numbers and they know how much it’ll take to get us to the goal,” Ruddock said, as Artie kept himself busy with a chew toy in his nearby enclosure. “I’m overwhelmed by the community support, that people are willing to step up and help out. It’s all about the dog.”
Ruddock needs to raise the money for a cruiser himself because the K-9 unit in the department is funded entirely through donations.
“In a small department, it’s pretty expensive to have a K-9 unit,” Ruddock said. He estimated Artie costs between $1,000 and $2,000 per year to feed, train and keep up on his health.
Ruddock said Artie, who was born in Slovakia, bolsters the department’s operational needs by adding tracking, bite work, article search and narcotics detection to their arsenal.
Artie is one of just a handful of K-9s available locally and the only dual-purpose patrol and narcotics dog in the county, Ruddock said. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange Police Department currently have dogs, too.
Artie regularly finds himself traveling across the county on calls. Recently, he has helped track down suspects who fled from a crash, people suspected of breaking into homes, and a person with mental health issues who’d run away from their home, Ruddock said.
The cruisers Ruddock and Artie use are supplied by the department, but they’re usually the oldest ones with the most mileage, wear and tear.
They also don’t have the wide range of security and safety measures that they should have to accommodate Artie. The new cruiser will have equipment like a remote starter, an internal heat alarm that will page Ruddock if the cruiser gets too hot with Artie inside, and an automatic door-popper, in case Ruddock leaves the car and something happens where Artie is needed immediately.
“It’s about the safety of the dog,” Ruddock said. “If the AC failed while I’m away from the car, it would take just minutes to harm him.”
To donate, make checks out to “Montague K-9 Fund — Artie’s Ride” and drop it off at the Montague Police Department or mail it to:
Montague Police Dept C/O Artie’s Ride, 180 Turnpike Road, Turners Falls, MA 01376
Or, call Ruddock at 413-863-8911, ext. 283 or 413-522-0267.
Ruddock said donors who give $1,000 or more to the campaign will be considered “gold sponsors” and have their names engraved on a plaque to be hung in the department’s community room, while those who donate $500 to $1,000 will receive a silver sponsorship engraving.
The plaque is being donated by Negus & Taylor Monuments in Greenfield.
You can reach Tom Relihan
at 413-772-0261, ext. 264
or trelihan@recorder.com.
On Twitter:@RecorderTom