Southington Police Dog Narrowly Misses National Grant

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A Southington Police Department canine unit just missed out on a national grant, but that did not stop police dog Tank and Officer Neal Ayotte from thanking the town for its support.

A video went up on social media Monday featuring the two.

Tank finished fourth out of 29 canine units, which narrowly missed winning one of the $5,000 grants — by just 15 votes.

"Thank you everyone for your support and generosity," Ayotte said in a message to residents.

Tank is a 5-year-old German shepherd who has been with his handler, Ayotte, for two years.

On the SPF Facebook page, one resident suggested the town starts a Go-Fund-Me account to raise the money anyway. It was just one of several positive posts thanking the two for their service.