K-9 turned down by Tarentum goes to Coraopolis Police Department
CORAOPOLIS, P.a (KDKA) -- The K-9 donated to and rejected by the Tarentum Borough Police Department has found a new home in Coraopolis.
"I was pretty happy because it went somewhere that I am able to go to, not somewhere that's really far away," said seventh grader Kaley Bastine, who had been working to raise money and bring a police dog to Tarentum. "It's a miracle that I can give a dog to a great place."
The Coraopolis community will get a chance to meet K-9 Ikon at an event on Nov. 2 at noon. The event is free, but police will be raising money to support the new K-9.
"We are beyond excited to welcome Ikon to our department and once again none of this would be possible without Kaley's hard work and commitment to helping local law enforcement," a statement from the Coraopolis Police Department said.
Tarentum's rejection goes back to a concert called Kaley's Kops held in August. Instead of raising enough money to buy a dog down the line, country singer Brian Kelley donated a German Shepherd. That led to problems for the department.
"What I understood from Tarentum is they are just not ready for the dog. They want to start a K-9 program, and to do that you have to have something in place," said Kaley's mom, Jamie Bastine.
She says what the department needed at the time was not a dog but money.
"People think because Tarentum turned a dog down that it's wrong," Jamie Bastine said. "No, it's not wrong. The stars did not align for them to take the dog right now. It's not wrong. (Brian Kelley) gifting Kaley a dog was not wrong because she wanted a dog. Everyone in that story, no one is at fault. In the end, it didn't work out."
In a statement, Tarentum's borough manager said while they want to start a K-9 program, they don't have the infrastructure required to properly support a K-9 unit, including policies, a specialized vehicle, insurance and training,
"These elements are vital to ensure the well-being of the dog, the preparedness of our police department, and the safety of our community," borough manager Dwight Boddorf said. "Accepting a dog prematurely would not have been in the best interest of any party involved."