Holiday gift giving to support local working dogs!

Ofc. Vargas and K9 Mitch of CSUNs Dept. of Police Services.

Support our Local Working Dog Teams this Holiday Season!

Looking for the perfect, last-minute holiday gift?  Consider a donation to one of So. Cals dog-related organizations that help make life better for our communities.  Organizations such as these rely, in many cases, exclusively on donations from community members.  A few of my favorites are listed below.

Not in Southern California but want to donate?  Not a problem!  These So. Cal. organizations will gratefully accept donations from anywhere!  (Or, look-up your own local law enforcement agency.  Most have a related foundation either specific to the canine department, or that which supports the agency as a whole.  If the latter, be sure to note if youd like your donation earmarked for the K9 Unit.)

CSUN Police Services K9 Unit

Checks payable to the National Police Dog Foundation with "CSUN K9 Unit" in the memo.  Mail to:

CSUN, Dept. of Police Services

C/o Captain Fernandez

18111 Nordhoff St.

Northridge, CA 91330-8290

CSUNs two dog and handler teams are awesome.  Follow the links to learn more about Ofc. Vargas and Mitch and Cpl. Finnerty and Isy.  CSUNs K9 Unit does  a great job protecting the campus and neighboring communities, and Cpl. Finnerty and Isy are often requested for special projects, as he explains in his linked interview.

Search Dog Foundation

www.searchdogfoundation.org

*Currently matching donations dollar-for-dollar thru Dec. 31, 2013.

"SDF is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Ojai, California. Our mission is to strengthen disaster preparedness in America by partnering rescued dogs with firefighters to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. The teams are provided at no cost to fire departments and other emergency service agencies throughout the country."

Los Angeles County Police Canine Association

www.lacpca.com

"The LACPCA is an organization that promotes the educational advancement, welfare, and safety of Canine teams in law enforcement."

Ventura County Sheriffs K9 Search and Rescue

www.vcsark9.org

Provides highly trained and tested volunteer handlers who assist local, state and federal agencies in the search for lost or mission persons.

Guide Dogs of America

www.guidedogsofamerica.org

Based in Sylmar, GDA "provides guide dogs and instruction in their use, free of charge, to blind and visually impaired men and women from the United States and Canada.  Click here for a short video highlighting the role of volunteer puppy raisers and the impact a trained dog has on the life of his partner.

There are lots of great dog-realted organizations out there.  Whats your favorite group, and why?  Post a comment to let us know!

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