MONTAGUE — The Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club had two special visitors on Sunday morning.
Artie and Sunny, the two dogs from the Montague Police Department, (and their two officers) spent the morning at the Rod and Gun Club, which gives a donation to the unit every year to help fund the K9 unit.
The club donated $500 to the program, which is not funded through the city and run entirely through donations like this one. Detective John Dempsey, who owns Sunny, said the money will go a long way and cover food, vet visits and training for the dogs.
“We just couldn’t do it without them,” he said.
Artie, who is owned by officer James Ruddock, is now the main K9 dog for the department, with Sunny in semi-retirement. The two dogs go through an initial 21 weeks to get certified for police use. Then they complete training every month to stay up to date.
The K9 unit has been a part of the department for about 16 years, but the first police dog in Montague was in the late 1970s, and was owned by officer Harvey Kellyhouse.
According to the vice president of the club, Sean Werle, they have donated to the K9 unit for about 10 years.
Reach Miranda Davis
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