MONROE, CT — Firemen’s Field was packed with families this Saturday as the Monroe, Fairfield and Norwalk police departments came together to host the area’s first ever Dogtoberfest, an event educating the community about the dogs who work in their K9 units.
Among the crowd were local vendors such as Mini Munch Sliders with its mobile food truck and Zoomin Groomin’s mobile pet spa, which offered prizes from a wheel spinner, along with organizations like Harlows Heroes, which supports current and retired K9 units across the state.
Officers introduced their K9 dogs, which including Kato and Trace.
Kato suffered from a medical issue, which paralyzed his esophagus and caused vomiting and organ failure. The dog was extremely close to being euthanized, before a dramatic comeback due to the cooperation of veterinarians and local police departments.
On Saturday, Kato could be seen running around playfully and smiling at the crowd.
“Our K9s are a part of our PD as members, but they’re also tools,” said Monroe Police Officer Francisco Jimenez. “We want to demonstrate what their abilities are, so people have the understanding of what the importance of having a K9 team is, and having a K9 officer and their partner on a shift.”
One of the officers put on a bite suit and demonstrated the training and restraint of the dogs.
A K9 officer commanded his dog to capture the officer in the bite suit, educating the crowd on how K9s neutralize runaway criminals, while also showing restraint with simple commands.
Fairfield Police Officer Alan Bakula presented Trace, his three-year-old K9 who specializes in tracking firearms.
Trace’s skills were shown off to the crowd when a silencer was placed under a cone amid four decoy cones. The dog found the silencer within about 30 seconds as the crowd applauded the K9 for its incredible work.
Officers fielded questions from curious onlookers throughout the event.
“I enjoy any time [we can spend with the community],” said Norwalk K9 Officer Ricky Montanez, who works with his partner, Karo, Kato’s brother. “There’s a lot of misconceptions on the dogs and there’s a lot of things that are unknown.”
Montanez said events like Dogtoberfest give the public an understanding of the dogs, while putting the K9s to work.
Participants at Dogtoberfest also participated in raffles for a variety of gift baskets and the Monroe Police Department gave out K9-themed coloring books. The event also offered baked goods and dog treats from local vendors.
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