I like dogs. I am not opposed to memorial services. But when I saw the front page of The Columbian for Sept. 30, and saw the picture of all the police and all their dogs lined up, my first thought was how many taxpayer dollars went to send each of these highly trained police officers, and their highly trained dogs to attend this memorial service for another police dog? The story, “Memorial service for slain K-9: Ike hailed as a hero,” says 50 canine teams showed up. Assuming they spent the better part of an eight-hour day there, each community represented probably spent about $320 to $400, assuming a salary rate of at least $40 per hour and no significant overtime. That is, conservatively, $20,000 in taxpayer money.
And, in the meantime, those dogs were out of service for their communities, as well. One has to wonder if that was really worth it to those communities.
