Folks At Whispering Pines Donate To, Spend Time With, Police K9s

EAST HAVEN, CT —The honey that comes to Whispering Pines in early spring, courtesy of Ray Sola who tends a hive at the nursing facility, is not just sweet, rich and delicious. The proceeds from the sales of jars of the golden liquid stocks the coffers of the Residents Council fund at the nursing and rehabilitation center.

Read more here about the hive and Ray's honey: 'Sweet Story: Nursing Home Bee Hive Yields 42 Pounds Of Honey'

Whispering Pines residents, led by Council co-presidents Marilyn Klockarsr and Sally Fallon, use that money for projects important to them. They've begun an employee of the month program, for example, to show their appreciation for staff at the East Haven center. They held a baby shower for an occupational therapist at Whispering Pines. What stood out recently was the decision to help keep safe the K9s of the East Haven Police Department by donating to help purchase K9 bulletproof vests.

A frequent visitor to Whispering Pines is K9 Ace and his police handler officer McGuire who share demonstrations and talk about the value of a K9 in the community, recreation director Mary Rosa said.

When Ace first arrived, Whispering Pines residents also donated to his care.

The McGuire/Ace team, and K9 Enzo and his handler police officer Palma visited Whispering Pines Tuesday to meet with the residents, answer questions, and pick up a check for hundreds of dollars for the four-legged heroes.

East Haven's K9s are Ace, Enzo, and Mack, whose handler is officer Sego.

“The East Haven Police Department has always considered the K9 program an extremely valuable component to our law enforcement operation," said East Haven Police K9 Supervisor David Emerman.

Emerman said that the police K9 program is "very appreciative of the generous donation" made by residents.

"This donation will help us purchase much needed equipment to maintain our constantly evolving K9 program,” he said.

Tuesday, Ace and Enzo were the stars at Whispering Pines.

Q&A with K9 officers

After a Q&A where residents asked myriad questions about the K9's lives, in came the dogs with handlers McGuire and Palma.

When asked what it costs for a K9 bullet-proof vest, and McGuire said from $1,500 to $2,500, came a collective "wow," came from residents.

McGuire went on to talk about what he feeds Ace, "raw meat," and how Ace knows when he's on the job versus when it's downtime. McGuire said that when he arrives home with Ace, off comes his collar and chain, and Ace knows the workday has ended, and he can relax and just be a dog.

"When he's got that collar on and (gets into the K9 cop car), he knows he's going to work."

Same with Enzo.

"My dog's good with people, he loves people, but he has certain triggers. One of his things, he loves being pet, but not by too many people at once," officer Palma said about his dog Enzo. "When I'm home, not working, he behaves just like a dog ... he can do what he wants. I fully trust him. When we're at work, it's different. When he's in the back of the car, he's ready to go. So when we're at work, I never let anybody et him based on his demeanor at work."

Honoring K9 'officers'

East Haven's K9 program dates back to 1965. Last month, after many pandemic-related delays, came the East Haven Police Department K9 Memorial. A ceremony is slated to be held this spring.

"We can’t wait to come together to honor all of our past and present K9s who have honorably served our community," police posted on Facebook.