Plush Dog Replica Sales To Raise Money For Montco Police K9 Unit

ABINGTON, PA — Youngsters in this eastern Montgomery County community looking for a new plush friend can order replicas of the local police department's two working canines while at the same time helping to raise money for the self-funded K9 unit.

The Abington Police Department announced that stuffed animal replicas of their two K9 dogs — Shadow and Moose — are currently available for those looking for a new cuddly toy.

The real Shadow and Moose are part of the township's K9 Unit, which is self-funded like many similar units.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the stuffed animals will go to the unit.

The township police department announced last fall that Moose had joined its ranks and was considered to be the first-ever bloodhound K9 dog secured by a police department in all of Montgomery County.

Related: Abington Becomes 1st Montco Police Department To Get Bloodhound K9

Bloodhounds utilized by municipal police departments have a slightly different task than traditional German Shepard canines, which can specialize more in narcotics detection and the like.

Moose, in his role, can handle tracking work and engage in tasks such as building searches.

The department said that Moose, who is paired with human partner Officer Ray De Los Santos, is 2 years old and came to Abington from North Carolina, where he was found by a hiker.

Local police officials said it was believed he had been separated from a hunter at the time, since he was found with a hunting collar on.

He was originally expected to be euthanized, but the department said he ended up being saved by a member of the Associated Humane Societies of Tinton Falls, New Jersey.

Moose eventually made his way to Abington after attending a bloodhound training program in Cape May, New Jersey.

Shadow, a 21-month-old German Shepard originally from the Czech Republic, is partnered with Abington Officer Mike Jones.

He is certified in explosives detection and is currently going through training at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, after which he'll be certified to work patrol on the streets of Abington Township.

The department said that Shadow will be specializing in tasks such as tracking missing children and the elderly and apprehending criminal suspects.

Like Moose, Shadow also joined the Abington Police Department in 2021.

More information about the Abington Police Department's stuffed animal fundraiser can be found here.