Pay for the Pups

The Cape Girardeau Police Department has two dogs trained to assist officers in recovering drugs and tracking suspects, along with other duties. In the six years the dogs, Bolo and Toben, have been on they job, they have been involved in more than 1,600 investigations. Now it's time for the dogs to retire.

Much of the money used to acquire Bolo and Toben was raised by a project called Pay for the Pups, which was a partnership of the police department, the Southeast Missourian Jr. monthly newspaper for young readers, and students in local schools. Now Pay for the Pups is being reactivated to raise funds for two new police dogs. The Cape Girardeau Kiwanis Club has already donated $12,000 to the project.

In addition to raising money, Pay for the Pups allows youngsters to make an investment in an important community asset. Along the way, they learn about the police department and how it uses dogs to do such important work.

Thanks to everyone involved in this project, including Cheryl Ellis of the Southeast Missourian staff who is the coordinator for Southeast Missourian Jr. and is the organizer of Pay for the Pups"