HARTFORD, Conn. — Dogs of distinction – joined by their handlers and trainers – received a warm welcome at the State Capitol on Monday for K9 Veteran’s Day.
The celebration became official in 2017 and this year, they held the inaugural K9 Veterans Day celebration which recognizes K9s for their great military and police work.
The K9 Veterans Day celebration is part of an initiative from the Tails of Hope Foundation, whose co-founder Linda Blick was front and center during the ceremony in Hartford on Monday.
Blick gave out awards to honor service dogs – past and present – their trainers, and their handlers.
“These are dogs that perform over 100 distinct jobs in every area you can imagine from commerce to cancer detection, explosive detection, electronics storage – everything,” she said.
Among the honorees was Kerry Halligan, who spent 20 years with the Connecticut State Police and now travels the country teaching K9s the specialized skills of electronics storage detection.
Halligan said Connecticut’s dedication to service dogs shows year in and year out.
“I love to be able to see Connecticut get the recognition that it deserves,” she said.
State Rep. Henry Genga, from East Hartford, served at the leader of the ceremony.
“The best part is people being here and recognizing what we’re doing and spreading the word,” he said.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.