The K-9 units of the Salem, St. Clair Township, Alliance and Columbiana Police Departments are teaming up for the fifth annual K-9 Golf Outing at Salem Hills Golf Club on Aug. 29. Shown, Patrolman Chad Caughey and K-9 Atos of the Alliance Police Department practice sweeping a vehicle for hidden contraband. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

SALEM — The fifth annual K-9 Golf Outing is gearing up to provide a day of fun on the range in support of multiple local K-9 units.

“As always we want to thank the community for all of the support we are receiving, and to thank our sponsors for making sure we have the best K-9 units and the best golf outing,” said Sgt. Mike Garber, handler for K-9 Chaz with the Salem Police Department.

This year’s outing will be held Aug. 29 at Flying B Golf Course, with registration at 7:30 a.m. with coffee and donuts for breakfast, a cannon fire start at 9 a.m., and dinner by Smokin’ Marty’s BBQ.

Garber said that all the team slots for this year’s event have already been filled except for those set aside as a reward for platinum sponsors. However, they are still seeking event sponsors and donations of items and baskets to be raffled during the event.

All donations to the K-9 unit are tax deductible as their fund is managed by the Salem Community Foundation, and any businesses or community organizations interested in supporting their local K-9 units should reach out to Garber at 330-337-7811 or at salemohioK9@gmail.com or Patrolman Tanor English at tenglish@cityofsalemohio.org with any questions.

As always, this year’s outing is a collaborative effort between multiple local K-9 units including the Salem, St. Clair Township, Alliance and Columbiana police departments with participating officers including: Garber, handler of K-9 Chaz, and English, handler of K-9 Fero, from the Salem Police Department; patrolman John Shaughnessy handler of K-9 Rebel from the St. Clair Township Police Department; patrolman Chad Caughey handler of K-9 Atos and patrolman Anthony Palozzi handler of K-9 Xander from the Alliance Police Department; and Sgt. Brandon Ericksson, handler of K-9 Bax from the Columbiana Police Department.

The golf outing is the largest fundraiser for the K-9 unit each year, which is primarily funded through the community’s support, and all proceeds from the event go directly to support the care of the participating department’s K-9s including food, equipment and training along with routine and emergency medical care, and will be divided evenly between the participating K-9 units.

“All of the money raised goes back to the K-9s. The whole event is all about the dogs and taking care of them,” Garber said.

In addition to the participating departments, the outing also benefits the K-9s and handlers from all the K-9 units in their training group, which includes several other local communities, and multiple county wide agencies can benefit from any training equipment purchased.

“We have a large training group that includes K-9 teams from various local and county agencies in our region that all benefit from the training equipment that’s purchased through our K-9 fund,” Garber said.

Sponsor packages range in cost from individual to corporate levels, each with unique rewards including: $100 hole sponsors receive a sign with their logo or information posted at a tee box; $500 silver sponsors receive a 4-foot by 2-foot banner with their logo, a photo op with the K-9s, recognition at the closing ceremony, and advertisement on the event and K-9 unit’s social media pages; $800 gold sponsors receive a vinyl sign the beginning of the course loop, recognition during the outing, and advertisement on the event and K-9 unit’s social media pages, as well a T-shirt sponsor spot on the back of the shirt in the top row; $1,250 titanium sponsors receive a 6-foot by 2-foot banner with their logo, two vinyl signs one at the beginning of the course loop, and one on the course, a photo op with the K-9s, recognition at the closing ceremony, and advertisement on the event and K-9 unit’s social media pages, and K-9 gift package; $1,800 platinum sponsors receive all the benefits of a titanium sponsor in addition to a second large banner, entry for a four-person team, and a customized K-9 gift package.

Sponsors should send a clean logo and any desired text to salemohiok9@gmail.com, and checks can be made payable to Salem Community Foundation, PO Box 553, Salem, Ohio, 44460, with “K9 Fund / Golf Outing” in the memo line.

Additional information on sponsorships can be found at www.spdk9.com/k9-golf-outing.