Naomi Judd Asks For Donations To The Williamson County Sheriff For A Bomb Detection Dog
Naomi Judd wants you to donate to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office to help secure Onyx, a German Shepherd who is being trained for bomb detection and criminal apprehension.
The country music legend has partnered with the department to raise upwards of $70,000 needed to secure the canine for local law enforcement, an effort that is already under way.
After an extensive search for the right dog, 20-month old Onyx from Advance Canine in Scottsville, Ky. was selected for training.
Onyx is in the process of a 26-week training course covering obedience, criminal apprehension, handler protection, practical dog agility, area search, tactical building search, felony vehicle stops, scent discrimination trailing and explosives detection.
At a press conference on Thursday, Onyx was present and very energetic while Judd spoke to reporters about funding the animal.
“He’s very active and that’s what you need in this type of canine,” Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Long said. “We are thrilled with his progress.”
Long cited community growth and safety in the 58 schools as reasons for needing to obtain Onyx. An estimated 300,000 people are in the county during daylight hours, according to Long.
Williamson County experienced 12 bomb threats at local schools over a two-week period in the 2014-2015 calendar year, prompting Long and Judd to partner and take action.
“Our community is growing at an alarming rate,” Long said. “We’re looking at issues that this county may have not looked at in the past and with that, we feel like we’re at a point where law enforcement in our community needs a K9 for this purpose.”
The canine, training and vehicle necessary for transporting potential explosives will cost an estimated $70,000 to $100,000. Long explained that a separate vehicle is needed for K9 dogs because there has to be safe separation from the driver. There is a kennel that is specifically for K9 dogs and it can only be installed in a vehicle that is manufactured for that purpose.
Judd has contributed and recently tapped her personal network for donations, while urging residents to join in this safety effort.
She explained that she found an affinity for bomb dogs when she recently met with five Marines returned from Fallujah, Iraq who were experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder because of separation from their German Shepherds.
“Every day these bomb dogs there are saving between 120 and 180 of our men and women,” she said. “But then I go home, and I have a meeting with the Sheriff and find out, lo and behold, we have a problem right here in Williamson County. You see gorgeous homes and cars, and every day there’s potential for something to happen to our beautiful, quaint way of living.”
Judd is an American Humane Association Ambassador, an advocacy group that focuses on protecting children, pets and wild animals from abuse and neglect. She urges Williamson County citizens to donate to the purchase and training of Onyx, as without public donations the department has a very limited budget.
Special Thanks To Samantha Hearn and The Brentwood Home Page
The German Shepherd is one of the most widely used breeds in a wide variety of scent-work roles. These include search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection and mine detection dog, among others. They are suited for these lines of work because of their keen sense of smell and their ability to work regardless of distractions.
German Shepherds are a popular selection for use as working dogs. They are especially well known for their police work, being used for tracking and holding of suspects.
