Join Us In Supporting K-9 Friends and the DCSO K-9 Unit.
As this year’s Platinum Sponsor, we hope you’ll register to join us for the 2023 Annual Howling Good Time Gala. This go-to Douglas County event is not only a fun and inspirational evening, but all proceeds go to support hero dogs found in the Douglas County Sherriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
K-9 Officers and their human police deputy partners provide a safer local community, saving lives, assisting with arrests in Douglas and surrounding counties, and protecting people.
2023 Howling Good Time Gala Will Be A Night to Remember
DATE: Thursday, September 21, 2023
TIME: 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
LOCATION: Cielo Events Center at Castle Pines, Colorado
Thanks to generous donors and annual attendees of the gala, over the years, the event has raised over a million dollars, providing veterinary care, equipment, and K9 Officers for the team. In turn, members of this amazing team put their lives on the line each day to protect the citizens of Douglas County.
This year’s focus will be on finding a suitable replacement for K-9 Officer Scooter who will be retiring after eight years on the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit. Donations will go a long way toward helping the DCSO find the right K-9 Officer to fill these paws.
Making Our Community Safer
Established in 1989, the DCSO K-9 unit consists of professionally trained K-9s, partnered with a highly skilled deputy. Since 2011, the DCSO K-9 Unit has been responsible for 20,000 deployments, 1,754 arrests and 690 assists in surrounding counties while seizing over 1,030 pounds of narcotics and $1.2 million in cash.
Thanks to the commitment of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the support of K-9 Friends, the DCSO K-9 Unit now consists of six Deputy/K-9 teams. Your attendance at the gala and/or donations will go a long way in supporting the human and canine heroes that help to save lives and make our community safer. We hope to see you on September 21!
HISTORY OF THE FRIENDS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY K-9
In 2011, when two of the four dogs on the K-9 Unit in Douglas County were about to retire, their long-time veterinarians wanted to do more for the K-9 Officers who had given so much to the local community. At the time, the DCSO did not have the budget to replace the retiring police dogs, so supporters founded the public charity, Friends of Douglas County K-9, or K-9 Friends, as it’s affectionately known.
Since 2011, K-9 Friends and your donations have helped the DCSO K-9 Unit acquire ten new K-9 officers, provide the unit with world-class training (such as narcotic detector training, rattlesnake avoidance training, bite work training, and tracking & safety training) and specialized equipment (including custom-fit K-9 Kevlar vests, GPS tracking collars, and bite suits), and ensure retired K-9s receive the best healthcare possible.
WHEN HERO DOGS RETIRE
While the DSCO funds vehicles and its deputies’ salaries, your community donations fund nearly all of the DCSO K-9 Unit’s costs. Plus, when a DCSO K-9 retires, the deputy who has worked with the dog always purchases him or her from the DSCO for $1. After this, that deputy becomes the dog’s owner and is completely responsible for the dog’s care, which often includes extensive and costly veterinary and medical services. K-9 Friends works tirelessly to provide retired hero dogs with exceptional veterinary care, relieving the need for the deputy owner to pay the high costs.
How Can you help with the 2023 Howling Good Time Gala?
Join us on Thursday, September 21 at the 12th Annual Howling Good Time Gala at Cielo at Castle Pines.
Your purchase of a ticket to this year’s Howling Good Time Gala includes these fun evening activities, and much more:
- A cash bar
- A sit-down dinner
- Fun entertainment and special guests including Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly and Dr. Kim Vanderholm, K-9 Friends Chair
- A live auction with auctioneer Halie Behr
- A silent auction
- …plus, the chance to meet your DCSO K-9 Unit Officers and spend a little time with the amazing hero dogs.
Proceeds from the gala and all other donations go to the DCSO K-9 Unit.
Even if you are unable to attend, please consider visiting the gala website to make a donation and learn more about these amazing and courageous K-9 officers and their human partners. You can also donate auction items or sign up to volunteer!
