When Yudy, the Glendale Police Department's German shepherd, isn't chasing down criminals or sniffing out drugs, she is training to keep her skills sharp.
The 9 1/2-year-old dog and her handler, Officer Maribel Feeley, have been working and training together daily since the Glendale Police K-9 unit was established in 2005. Together, the pair have seized about $500,000 in drug money and arrested numerous criminals.
She and the unit's other police dogs, Idol and Branko, save officers “hours and hours of searching,” Feeley said.
The dogs, she said, have proven to be a valuable resource for the department to help fight crime as well as interact with the community.
Saturday they did just that, as Yudy and her fellow K-9s displayed their skills during live demonstrations at the fifth annual “Glendale K-9s in the Park” event at Verdugo Park.
The fundraiser draws between 5,000 and 8,000 dog-lovers annually. All proceeds go directly toward the unit's operation, since it is funded by donations only.
