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BRIGHAM CITY — Bring a news camera to a dog park and don't be surprised if many of the curious pups stop by to check it out.
Dogs are probably used to cellphone cameras these days, but not big cameras, and the K-9 Memorial Dog Park in Herriman is a great place to get pictures of all the good boys and girls.
It's also a great place to read about Hondo and Dingo.
This park honors those two police dogs who will never have new photos taken of them.
They were both killed in the line of duty, Hondo in 2020 and Dingo in 2017.
"Dingo saved my life on two occasions," said Chad Reyes.
Reyes was Dingo's handler with the Unified Police Department when Dingo was killed. They were going after a wanted fugitive who shot Dingo.
Now, Reyes is chief of the Brigham City Police Department and has pictures of Dingo throughout his office.
It shows how much Reyes still thinks about his former partner even five years later.
"I get up every morning in gratitude to him that I've got another day to spend with my family," Reyes said.
In honor of Dingo, Reyes is ramping up Brigham City's police K-9 unit. They have one police dog, but Reyes is now getting them a second dog thanks to a donation in Dingo's name.
Summit Nutritionals International is a New Jersey-based company that helps police departments get K-9s.
The company's CEO is Dr. Caesar DePaco, who, along with his wife DeAnna have donated more than $2 million across the country to honor police dogs who have been killed in the line of duty.
Reyes knows firsthand how valuable these dogs are to departments.
"They help in keeping narcotics off our streets and helping us apprehend criminals when we need to," he said. "Even as much as finding missing children and even our vulnerable adults who walk away and are sometimes lost. A dog will help us with all of those things."
As the saying goes, dogs are man's best friend.
That's true when it's time to play and, especially for K-9s, when it is time to work.
"There's not another tool in our tool belt that can replace what a dog will do for us," Reyes said. "We're excited to add another dog to our department."
The Brigham City Police Department hopes to pick out their dog in the next couple of weeks.
From there, the dog and its handler, Master Officer Kyle Whitaker, will train for several months for dual certifications in patrol and narcotics.
The plan is to have the new K-9 team patrolling Brigham City by May 2023.
