MADISON TWP., Ohio — A Madison Township police officer is hoping community support will help bring back a tool the department hasn’t had for more than a decade. Officer Eric Sharp recently launched a fundraising campaign to cover the expenses of a new K9 unit.
“Simply having a dog sometimes will even just have the deterrent of people wanting to commit crimes knowing that there’s a dog for that police department,” said Sharp.
The patrolman received approval from the police chief and township trustees after giving a presentation on the benefits of having a K-9 in the department’s ranks. He touted the ability of a multi-purpose dog to find narcotics, track suspects, and offer protection to human partners, in addition to being a community-relations aid.
“During community events, we can have a dog there doing demonstrations, or we’ll go to the school, we can do reading time,” said Sharp.
Madison Township’s last K-9 retired in 2011 and was never replaced. A new K9 team would be dependent on funding raised by outside donations.
Sharp’s pitch to township trustees was bolstered by several cost-saving measures. A police SUV cruiser recently became available when a detective retired from the department.
The Township also won’t have to go far to find a qualified handler and dog for the job. Sharp recently transferred from Fairport Harbor, where he was part of a K-9 unit with German Shepherd Sid. Sid retired early and became Sharp’s family dog. Both are anxious to be back on the job together.
“He still follows me to the door every day, still wants to go to work. And when I come home, his nose is right there in the door when I come in,” Sharp said. “It kind of eats at your heart every day when you get to go to work, and he used to go to work with you every day, and now he doesn’t,” Sharp said.
Sharp expects Sid, who’s nearly 6, will be able to work at least several more years before permanently retiring. He’s already trained as a multi-purpose narcotics and patrol K-9 but will need to renew his annual certification.
Money collected through community donations will cover the roughly $13,000 cost to retrofit K9 equipment in the cruiser, in addition to food and veterinary costs for the dog when he returns to work.
Sharp said in a short amount of time, donations have poured in from individuals and businesses around Madison Township. Big Dawgs Axe Junkies, an axe-throwing shop on Hubbard Road, was among the early donors.
“They support our business just as well as the community. So they keep us safe every day,” said co-owner Ed Gould.
The business, which regularly raises money for animal-centric charities, said it plans to continue donating money to the K-9 unit after it’s established.
Sharp said he also plans to start selling merchandise to raise money, but community support has already been generous.
“We like being a community-based police department. We love our community, and they seem to support us back pretty well,” Sharp said.
The Madison Township Police Association is collecting money for the K-9 unit. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the police department at 2065 Hubbard Road, Madison, OH 44057. Checks can be made payable to Madison Township Police Association, with “K-9 Unit” written on the memo line.
An officer at another Lake County agency, the Wickliffe Police Department, successfully held a similar fundraiser in 2022 to restart that department’s K-9 unit. Sharp said he’s been in contact with the Wickliffe department while coordinating his own fundraising efforts.
READ MORE: K9 funded by community fundraising starts at Wickliffe Police Dept
