K9 Duke's Retirement Fundraiser

K9 Duke has served the community of Lakewood and Lakewood Police Department for four years with courage, dedication and loyalty, doing everything asked of him and more. On numerous occasions, he stood between Lakewood Agents and citizens, and those who would do them harm. Duke took hundreds of pounds of illegal narcotics off the streets and numerous guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. Most of all, his infectious happiness has been a gift to his LPD family.

Sadly, Duke has been forced into retirement due to a hereditary issue that has caused him to lose most of his daylight vision. The condition, hemeralopia (or "day blindness"), has no cure, and he will eventually lose all of his daylight vision, and perhaps his night vision as well. Regardless, he is a permanent member of the Winters family and will be loved until he crosses the rainbow bridge many years in the future. That being said, police K9's endure increased amounts of physical strain in their years of service that cause costly joint and dental problems later in life. Duke's eye condition adds another layer of care, as it makes him more susceptible to cataracts in the future, and necessitates him being given an expensive eye supplement to keep what remains of his vision intact as long as possible.

Agent Winters is selling athletic wear in order to raise funds for Duke's medical care and pet insurance to ensure he is always well-maintained. The logo is Duke's own personal logo, which shows him wearing the goggles he became known for. The motto, "Protegere Protectores" is one which Duke and Agent Winters adopted to guide their work. It is Latin for "Protect the Protectors." It was the driving force behind Duke's tireless effort to always bring his Agents home each night, it is a continuing call for Agents to fight to keep each other safe, and for the community around those Agents to never stop supporting them.

Thank you for considering purchasing, and thank you for supporting Duke!