Yakima Police have welcomed a new K9 officer to the Department. K9 Asko, a 55 pound Belgium Malinois from Slovakia. Officers say Asko in Slovak means "too much." Asko will be in training for the next several months before certification that will enable him to join the daily patrols.

ASKO WAS PURCHASED FROM DONATIONS TO YAKIMA'S K9 FOUNDATION

Asko replaces K9 Trex who died in November after suffering from an "undiagnosable gastrointestinal disorder."
The purchase of Asko was made possible through your donations to the K9 Foundation Yakima Valley. Director Fern Hart says ever since the organization was created in 2022 they've been helping support K9 programs in both the Yakima Police Department and the Yakima County Sheriff's Office. With the addition of Asko there are currently 4 patrol dogs, 2 in the Yakima County Sheriff's Office and 1 in the Yakima Police Department and one cadaver dog in the Yakima County Coroners Office.

THE FOUNDATION NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT TODAY

The foundation supports those K9's but Hart says because of the size of the county and the calls for service they answer the departments need more K9's. Hart says they need 5 to 6 working K9's. Each working K9 costs thousands of dollars. That's where you can help. You can donate on the k9foundation Facebook page and 100% of the donations go directly to the foundation. You can find the foundation on Facebook at k9foundation Yakima valley or at K9foundationyv.org.

Report a typo or correction

Got a news tip? Email us here.

TRENDING STORIES:

LOOK: Here's where people in every state are moving to most

Stacker analyzed the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey data to determine the three most popular destinations for people moving out of each state.

More From News Talk KIT