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Fort Smith Area K9 Units Receive Tracking Devices Inspired by Hero

Pet Age Staff//August 31, 2016//

Fort Smith Area K9 Units Receive Tracking Devices Inspired by Hero

Pet Age Staff //August 31, 2016//

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Mars Petcare and Whistle are teaming up to create a safer world for K-9 officers by donating Whistle GPS Pet Trackers for all K-9 officers in the Greenwood Police Department, Fort Smith Police Department and Sebastian County Sherriff’s Department.

Members of the Fort Smith community banded together with Mars Petcare and Whistle following a local tragedy, during which Greenwood Police Department K-9 officer Kina was shot in the line of duty. It took search crews two days to find her and begin treatment.

Russell Hayes, Mars Petcare Arkansas Site Director, where Cesar and Sheba brands are made, was touched by the community’s efforts.

“Pets are an important part of our families, and when we look at the K-9 officers who serve our community, they have a special place in our hearts as well,” he said. “As a long-standing member of the Fort Smith community, we knew immediately that we wanted to contribute once we heard about the community’s mission to support Kina and our other K-9 officers.”

Following the shooting and disappearance of K-9 Kina, Fort Smith residents were determined to raise funds to equip all of their K-9 officers with GPS trackers, ensuring their K-9 officers can be easily found after fleeing a situation. Mars Petcare and Whistle were inspired by Kina’s story and the community’s efforts to protect the dogs who take on the special role involved in serving as a K-9 officer. The companies partnered together to outfit the K-9s with Whistle GPS devices and fund the first year’s subscription fee, allowing the community’s fundraising efforts to go toward future years’ device subscriptions, ensuring a safer future for Sebastian County K-9 officers.

“Service animals are raised to care for humans in a remarkable way,” said Ben Jacobs, Co-founder and CEO of Whistle.  “New technology, like Whistle GPS Pet Tracker, is being used to help protect them in return. We know that K-9 officers are trained to flee a situation when necessary. Because of this inspiring effort from the Fort Smith community, the K-9 officers’ teams will be able to quickly find and track any K-9’s location when they need it most.”

For more information on how Mars Petcare and Whistle are working to improve the lives of pets, visit their A Better World for Pets Facebook page or www.whistle.com.