After months without a K-9 dog in Des Moines County, there soon will be two furry officers.

The Des Moines County Sheriff’s office is working to relaunch its K-9 program, and Burlington Police Department recently got another K-9.

“We haven’t had a program since the early ’90s,” said Sgt. Kevin Glendenning with the Des Moines County Sheriff’s office said..

Glendenning said not only can police dogs provide crime fighting and deterrence benefits, but they also provide a chance for community interaction.

Regardless of the benefits, the department spent nearly two decades without a dog program. That changed a year ago. The sheriff’s office began looking into getting a dog for its department, but first it needed to make sure it has deputies interested in handling a K-9 dog.

It was quickly clear there were. With that, the office began looking into how much money would be needed to start and sustain the program. The department needs $36,000 to sustain the program. This includes the purchase of the dog, sending an officer through training, paying for the care of the dog, and covering overtime costs for the handler.

The sheriff’s office is in the middle of trying to raise money for its K-9 unit. About $27,000 — $6,200 of which was brought in by a fundraising golf tournament — has been raised to date. Glendenning said much of the money has come from individual donations.

“I really want to thank Jim Jacks. He donated $10,000 to getting a K-9,” Sheriff Mike Johnstone told the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday.

Glendenning said he is confident that if the department does not raise the money needed for the program, the supervisors will make up the difference from the budget.

Supervisor Jim Cary refused to say whether he would support filling the void with tax money, but said he is looking forward to the discussion being held in a work session.

“Seven years ago, I ran to support law enforcement,” Cary said. “This is part of law enforcement.”

Now that the office has most of the money it needs, those with the department have started touring different kennels. The office has narrowed it down to two kennels, both of which are based in Iowa.

One kennel offers German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Begian Malinois. Dogs from this kennel are about $12,500 each.

The other kennel offers only German Shepherds, which have been cloned by the breeder. By cloning the dog, the breeder can ensure the dog has the proper temperament. The breeder is also able to offer a better, a five-year warranty instead of a single-year warranty, which is offered by the other kennel.

If a K-9 dog were to get sick to the point of needing to be medically retired within the warranty period, the kennel would take back the dog in exchange for a lower rate on a new dog.

Thanks to a warranty on Burlington Police dog Asta, the BPD’s K-9 program is back in full swing.