Good News For K-9s

Gov. Susanna Martinez has signed a couple of the dog bills I wrote about about in a recent column -- specifically the ones dealing with police dogs.


First there's Senate Bill 139, sponsored by Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque. Under this bill, K-9s — police dogs or dogs used by corrections officers — would be offered for free to their trainers or handlers when the animals retire from service.

Moores has said that if the trainers or handlers don’t take the dogs, the animals would then be offered to a nonprofit organization, “if they are not a threat to public safety.”

The governor also signed SB 141, sponsored by Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City. This would allow local law enforcement agencies to use funds from the Law Enforcement Protection Fund to buy protective vests for K-9s. The bill didn’t earmark any extra money for doing this.