The Team: Officer Mike McDonald and his K-9 partner Akyo have been together for six years.
The K-9: Akyo is a Belgian Malinois breed that is ten years old. He has been trained for dual purposes: narcotics and patrol. Akyo will be retiring this month.
The Officer: Mike McDonald has been with the for 12 years. This is Mike's first K-9 partner. Mike will be taking Akyo as his personal pet after Akyo's retirement.
In addition to the 24 local elementary and middle schools participating, buckets will also be available at the and at the .
This year's competition started on Feb. 27 and will run through March 9. This is the third year that area schools will compete to see who can raise the most money to help fight canine cancer. More than $10,500 was raised in the first two years and this will be the first year that includes area middle schools.
To find out more about the drive and the schools participating, .
The Sheriff's K-9 Unit will also be holding a meet and greet event at te Gammill Building on Thursday, March 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. Donations will also be accepted at that time.
For more information about the penny drive, contact Lt. Michael J. Barnhill at 678-486-1220 or mbarnhill@sheriff.douglas.ga.us. For more information about Chase Away K-9 Cancer, visit www.chaseawayk9cancer.org.
