Public Appearance by K-9 Koda Sunday at Fundraiser

The new canine recruit on the El Cerrito police force, , is scheduled to make a public appearance at a pet-washing fundraiser for police dogs Sunday, July 1, at next to Safeway, police said.

Koda will be at the event from about noon to 2 p.m. with his handler, Officer Joshua Del Prado, and Sgt. Ian Wong, according to Wong. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The pet-food chain is holding the weekend pet-washing event to raise funds to support police dogs. All proceeds with go to CoverYourK9.org, which helps provide police canines with bullet-proof vests, heat alarms for patrol cars, first-aid kits and other equipment.

Those who wish to see Koda are cautioned not to approach him unless invited to do so by his handler, Wong said. 

Koda when he made his first apprehension of a criminal suspect. He nabbed one of two suspected burglars who were hiding in yards just north of the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Both were arrested.

A two-year-old Czech German shepherd from Belgium, Koda joined the department on March 9 and just returned to active duty this past week after 200 hours of drug-detection training.

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