Floyd County, Virginia – Protect the dogs that protect you.
Laurel Turner has lived in Floyd County for more than 20 years.
Since coming to Virginia, this animal lover has made it his mission to rescue and protect as many animals as possible.
Before retiring, she worked in law enforcement for 23 years. And from her years of experience, she knows how important her K9 unit is to its handler.
“These dogs are going to take a bullet for their handlers,” Turner said. “They are part of the handler’s family.”
Each year, Laurel donates bulletproof vests to local agencies to alleviate tight budget pressures.
“So if police officers on patrol wear bulletproof vests for protection, why don’t their partners wear them too?” Turner said.
And it’s been three years since I was able to donate my vest, and this year the vet bills are high.
“Unfortunately, two of our dogs required major surgery this year,” Turner said. “$12,000 for three surgeries.”
The neighbor and longtime friend said she knew she could still do something.
“I said, ‘Well, you still want to do this, but it’s important to you. There’s also a way to involve other people and crowdsource it,'” Mindy Brinson said.
Since starting the GoFundMe, she said enough money has been raised for one bulletproof vest, but there are still many dogs in the area who need help.
“We’ve already raised enough money to purchase one of the vests, but we want to make sure we fund the other three officers as well,” Brinson said.
For now, they said they want to keep the donation pool open so they can continue to buy bulletproof vests once money is raised.
If you would like to donate, please visit GoFundMe. here.
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