Guntown K-9 officer featured in national fundraising calendar
Feb. 7—GUNTOWN — Little did Bre Lucas know that ordering a protective vest for her partner would them both on the cover of a nationwide calendar.
Lucas, the K-9 officer for the Guntown Police Department, and 4-year-old Belgian Malinois Yawki were not only photographed for the month of May inside the 2023 Vested Interest in K9s fundraising calendar, the pair were also featured on the cover.
A few years ago, Lucas reached out to Vested Interest in K9s about getting a bullet- and stab-resistant vest for Yawki. Through the nonprofit organization, police departments can get custom vests (worth $960 each), canine first aid kits and even Narcan for dogs, all free of charge. The only requirement is that the dog be certified.
Lucas, her easy-going attitude and her Southern accent soon became a favorite of the East Taunton, Massachusetts, group.
"They kind of adopted me," Lucas said. "They told me the director was going to love me."
Around this time last year, the group's founder and director, Sandy Marcal, called Lucas and brought up the annual fundraising calendar. Marcal said she wanted to make sure Lucas was the first officer she approached.
Lucas quickly accepted. Aaron Adams at Icon Studios donated his time to take the pictures of Lucas and Yawki that grace the calendar. After the calendars were printed, the nonprofit sent Lucas and GPD a stack of 100 calendars to autograph and give away to local supporters.
She joked that she felt a little like John Grisham signing his novels.
"At least I already had the signature down," Lucas said. "Before we got digital tickets, I had to sign every ticket. Since it needed to be legible (for court clerks), I sat down years ago and worked out my signature."
And by being chosen for the calendar, Lucas and Guntown are eligible for more canine-related items from VIK.
"They told me to make a wish list," Lucas said.
And while Yawki was a great dog, he got to a point where some days he didn't want to track, which was one of his main jobs. Last summer, Yawki had to be retired. He now spends his days chasing tennis balls, hiking through the woods and playing in the backyard.
In his place came Axel, a 5-year-old German Shepherd who had been working with a department in Arkansas. Since both Yawki and Axel were trained to respond to command in Dutch, Lucas didn't have to learn a new language.
Calendars are available for purchase online for $18 via the Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. website at vik9s.org. For additional information or mail orders contact 508-824-6978. All proceeds from the 2023 calendars will be used to provide equipment and services for law enforcement K-9s nationwide.
Since its founding in 2009, Vested Interest in K9s has donated more than 4,900 protective vests to police dogs in all 50 states at a value of over $6.9 million dollars.
