A local K9 unit is reaping the rewards of a “Back The Blue” campaign, thanks to the efforts of a Broken Arrow-based wolf rescue organization.
Freedom’s Song awarded Sapulpa Police Officer Randal Arnold and his new partner Valor a $600 check on Saturday afternoon.
The campaign was simple, but paid off in a big way. For a $20 donation, you would get a window sticker of a dog’s paw print, with the words “Back the Blue” across the top. Half of the money went to fund the organization, and the other half went to Valor.
Valor, a 2-year old Belgian Malinois, comes from a long line of working dogs. His grandmother was Glory, another retired Creek County K9 officer.
Valor spent the first part of his life as a search-and-rescue dog for FEMA, but his heart was in finding criminals, not distressed citizens in disaster recovery areas. His handlers figured it out quickly, and sent him into the line of work he was born for.
Sapulpa Police Department got Valor on May 1st and immediately began training Officer Arnold. He started on the street in mid-June.
Arnold is the perfect match for Valor—he too comes from a long line of officers. What’s more, his father was in the K9 unit for SPD and Creek County Sheriff’s office. You could say that for both of them, the job is in their blood. Randal’s brother is formerly an officer with the Creek County Sheriff’s department (we wrote about that here). He’s now serving as an officer on the Owasso Police Force.
Arnold says the money will go toward purchasing Valor a bullet-proof vest, ideally one that could be custom-built for him. This check gets them about 75% of the way there.
Freedom’s Song has said that even though the “Back The Blue” campaign has ended, any donations that come to them as a result of this story on Sapulpa Times will still hold to the original agreement of 50% going to Valor. If you’d like to donate, go here!
Featured Image: Erin Hill, Karen Lilly and Terry Lilly with Freedom’s Song; Officer Arnold and Officer Valor
