-
Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kagen Butts and K-9 deputy Halo stand with K9s United members – BJ Johnson as the Abominable Snowman, Debbie Johnson as Yukon Cornelius and 10-year-old Emma Johnson as Rudolph – before receiving a gift on Christmas Eve, courtesy of K9s United. -
Positively Putnam FL
A local doggy deputy tore open festive wrapping paper to find a Christmas surprise that a 10-year-old girl and other members of a nonprofit group gave him for the holiday.
As part of the K9s United, Emma Johnson delivered a new Kong dog toy to K-9 Halo and a Dunkin gift card to his handler, Deputy Kagen Butts, at the sheriff’s office.
“K9 Halo was so excited about our annual Christmas visit from K9s United, he just couldn’t wait to open his present,” the sheriff’s office said on social media.
Putnam County was one of 11 stops for Emma Johnson and her family as they delivered gifts last week to K-9s at law enforcement agencies all around the area.
The 10-year-old is the daughter of K9s United founder Debbie Johnson, who began the nonprofit in 2015 after a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office K-9 deputy died on duty. K9s United works to provide K-9 units with the resources they need, and now the organization assists agencies nationwide.
“It’s the least we can do for what they do for us every day,” Debbie Johnson said about K-9 officers.
She said law enforcement dogs are working alongside their handlers in dangerous situations, and K9s United wants to be a voice for the dogs.
“We want to be able to honor them,” Debbie Johnson added.
Aside from Christmas gifts, this is not the first time K9s United helped the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. In 2019, the nonprofit helped fund heat sensory equipment for the K-9 vehicles at the agency. The technology alerts deputies on their cellphone if a vehicle gets too hot for the K-9 and sends a second alert to dispatchers, according to the sheriff’s office in 2019.
The new equipment also sounds an alarm, activates lights and rolls down the vehicle’s back windows if the door is not opened to let out a K-9 deputy.
Emma was part of the 2019 delivery to the sheriff’s office and has been a major part of the gift-giving since 2015, her mother said. Debbie Johnson said the number of agencies they give Christmas gifts to grows every year, and it’s become a family tradition.
“I’m just so extremely proud of her,” Debbie Johnson said about her daughter. “To see her evolve as she’s gotten older, she sees these dogs and understands how important they are. ... We call her our mini fearless leader.”