Avid Dog Lovers Donate Lifesaving Kits to DuPage Sheriff's K9s

Photos provided by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

The four K9s employed by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office are better prepared for dangers in the field, thanks to a pair of avid dog lovers.

Phil and Nancy DiMenza of unincorporated Winfield have sponsored the police dogs and provided them with lifesaving kits that include a long list of helpful items, such as bandages, medicine and thermometers, said Dawn Domrose, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

“Sheriff’s K9’s are trained in human remains detection, narcotic detection and many other duties that can put them in harm’s way,” said Sheriff John Zaruba in a statement. “We want to ensure their safety, just as we would for any other deputy in our agency, so a lifesaving kit geared towards the K9 is a useful and necessary piece of equipment.”

The DiMenza family got the kits from a non-profit organization in Georgia, We Ride to Provide, which specializes in providing safety equipment to Georgia police dogs.

Domrose said this is the first time she’d seen community members donate directly to the dogs.

The kits were presented to the dogs and sheriff’s deputies Wednesday morning at a presentation at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office Region 4 Training Center in West Chicago.

The four police dogs are Jewel, a German shepherd trained in explosive detection, Bella and Praise, both bloodhounds who can track people and things, and Kato, a German shorthaired pointer who can detect human remains.

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