The program portrays the officer as a role model – someone they can consider a friend. After a Puppy Patrol presentation, the children are asked questions about what they learned and some receive T-shirts bearing the DAD/DAC Puppy Patrol logo and its slogan, "The Top Dogs Are Drug Free!" The T-shirt also stresses that “Police Dogs are Your Friends.”
Many DAD/DAC members will tell you that the Puppy Patrol allows them the opportunity to talk to children about the negative effects of doing drugs and how it will affect their opportunity to be what ever they want to be in life.”
There are several anti-drug education programs for youth, each with its own merits. The Puppy Patrol program is unique in that it targets pre-school through fifth grade children as the age group of choice.
DAD/DAC provides – free of charge – all the materials that are given to the children during the presentation, such as the special certificates, pencils, inkpens for the older children, informational pamphlets and stickers. DAD/DAC funds the Puppy Patrol program through fundraising projects and corporate donations. DAD/DAC also is providing something else for children – a lasting, positive memory.
The K9 Officers conducting the Puppy Patrol demonstrations find that the children are more attentative to the presentation with the use of a trained police canine. The children also see that the officer is their friend and that they really care about the future of our children.
For more information, contact Jenny Sparks at DAD/DAC's home office, 1-888-323-3227 or by emailing her at puppypatrolk9@hotmail.com.
If you are active in Puppy Patrol and aren’t on the list, please contact the DAD/DAC office and let them know. They won’t know you are active in Puppy Patrol unless you tell them!
GUIDELINES for Puppy Patrol Officers
For an officer to give an official Puppy Patrol demonstration, he or she must do the following:
· Request Puppy Patrol materials at least 30 days in advance
· Hand out a participation certificate to each child
· Make sure each child gets a DAD/DAC brochure
· Turn in demo report to the DAD/DAC office (Fax it to Jenny at 765/643-7781 or email it to (puppypatrolk9@hotmail.com)
A NEW INCENTIVE PROGRAM
As if helping children stay away from drugs isn’t enough, DAD/DAC has come up with another reason for officers to do Puppy Patrol demonstrations.
When you turn in a Puppy Patrol report, the DAD/DAC office will keep track of the number of demonstrations you have given. After five demonstrations, you will receive a DAD/DAC baseball cap. After 10 demonstrations, you’ll get a DAD/DAC sweatshirt. After 25, you’ll get a DAD/DAC flight jacket. After 50, you will get a $100 gift certificate to a K9 equipment vendor.
