Project K-9 Hero

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Project K-9 Hero Ensuring the best quality of life for our nation’s retired Police K9 and Military Working Dog Heroes! Together we can honor our retired K-9 Heroes.

We are so grateful for the service of our nation’s retired Military Working Dogs and Police K-9 Heroes that we want to honor them in retirement by ensuring the best quality of life for them, by providing assistance with medical costs, food, and end of duty services. We rely on donors like you to fund our project, since there are no public funds for retired K-9 police dogs. Mission:

– To protect those who protected our families, our communities
and our America. Vision:

– To ensure the best quality of life for our nation’s retired Military Working Dogs and Police K-9 Heroes through providing assistance with medical costs, food, and end of duty services. Purpose:

– To educate the public on the costs and responsibilities of adopting
a retired K-9 Hero.

– To help cover or offset all medical, food, and end of duty costs for retired K-9 Heroes.

– To ensure each K-9 Hero is rewarded with health and the way of life that they deserve for their faithful and loyal service. Additionally:

Project K-9 Hero pays for 100% of the medical costs for all retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs that we accept as Program Members. To ensure that our K-9 Heroes have the best retirement possible, our program includes: office visits, prescription medications, required vaccines, surgeries, physical therapy, medical devices or equipment, prescription dog food, and other goods and services. When the K-9 reaches their End of Watch, Project K-9 Hero provides end-of-duty services, such as cremation or burial. Additionally, we provide their handler/owner with a custom memorial portrait of their Hero, completed by our staff artist. All of these services are dependent on funding raised through the donations of our supporters. Project K-9 Hero aims to educate the public via professional speaking, conferences, mail and email on the costs and responsibilities that are necessary when adopting or caring for a retired Military Working Dog or Police K-9 Hero. While a K-9’s medical costs are fully covered by their local, state or federal law enforcement agency when they are working, they are no longer covered for any costs once they retire. In almost all instances, the responsibility for caring for the retired hero falls solely on the volunteers who adopt the K-9. K-9 Heroes are worked until they can no longer perform their duties due to health reasons. In their older age of retirement, they need our help the most in making sure they are able to live a comfortable life and are able to enjoy their retirement for as long as possible. K-9’s accepted into Project K-9 Hero will be selected by the existing board members. Owners of retired K-9’s will need to submit an application, bio of the K-9’s career and several photos of the K-9 working and at home. The board will look at each application thoroughly and allow a retired K-9 in the program if the funds are available to support it. Through your donation, we look forward to taking in as many Retired K-9 Heroes as we can support, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable retirement in return for their dedication to supporting us and our communities. If you would like to learn how you can get your Retired K-9 Hero into our program, please email us a brief description and background on your K-9 to receive an application from our Board of Directors.

Please welcome K-9 “Tango” to our Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 411th Program Member. Tango honorably served as a Dual-Pu...
10/15/2026

Please welcome K-9 “Tango” to our Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 411th Program Member. Tango honorably served as a Dual-Purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection K-9 with the Menomonee Falls Police Department, in Wisconsin, from 2020 until he medically retired this past week on October 9th, 2026.

In his six years of service, Tango conducted over 350 deployments that included narcotic sniffs, tracks, building searches, article finds, and apprehensions in Menomonee Falls and surrounding communities. He was involved in dozens of community presentations and community outreach engagements as an Ambassador to the Menomonee Falls Police Department every year.

On October 6th, 2026, Tango’s Handler was in the audience when our Founder, Jason Johnson, was giving his Keynote Speech at the 2026 Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler Association Annual Conference. As Jason was speaking directly to Handlers across the State of Wisconsin about how Project K-9 Hero helps Police K-9s with medical care in retirement, Tango began to have an emergency situation at home that required an immediate trip to the ER at the very moment.

Jason was made aware of the situation while at the airport to fly out of Milwaukee on October 8th. Jason learned that Tango had an undiagnosed illness, that already maxed out the department’s financial resources, and was going to require more testing and treatment that would cost thousands of dollars, and be an extreme financial burden on the Handler and his family.

The decision was made to immediately retire Tango from Police service, and an application for formally filled out and we accepted him in the program the very same day on October 9th. Over the last week, we have been paying for Tango’s diagnostic tests to determine what was clinically wrong with him. Late last night, October 14th, we finally got the news from his Cancer Risk Assessment. The results stated, “HIGH Consistent with nucleosome concentrations found in common canine cancers including lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma.” Late last light we approved Tango for an MRI to determine more details on how to treat him, and made the deposit for the testing to occur as soon as possible.

🐾 UPDATE as of 6pm on October 15th, Project K-9 Hero has paid $7,311.69, to save this Hero’s Life before any cancer treatment has even begun! 🐾

Tango still has a long way to go, but he is only seven years old and we feel confident with the help of PK9H he CAN and WILL pull through this. We are honored to be covering these costs for his very appreciative Handler and family, which is a monetary amount, that would be a financial burden on any actively serving Police Officer. PK9H is not only covering this week’s medical bills, but we are committed to paying for all future veterinary visits, medications, supplements, diagnostic testing, and surgeries at 100%, for the rest of his life.

Please take a moment to welcome K-9 Tango to our Pack! PK9H is here to protect you after all you have done to protect the State of Wisconsin and surrounding Communities. -

WWW.PROJECTK9HERO.ORG

Our direct mail program runs through Fund Raising Strategies, Inc.They handle the strategy, the outreach, and the follow...
10/15/2026

Our direct mail program runs through Fund Raising Strategies, Inc.

They handle the strategy, the outreach, and the follow-through that brings real support into this mission.

It’s how we reach people beyond social and turn attention into action.

http://www.fundraisingstrategies.com/

Please welcome K-9 “Tango” to our Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 411th Program Member. Tango honorably served as a Dual-Pu...
10/15/2026

Please welcome K-9 “Tango” to our Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 411th Program Member. Tango honorably served as a Dual-Purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection K-9 with the Menomonee Falls Police Department, in Wisconsin, from 2020 until he medically retired this past week on October 9th, 2026.

In his six years of service, Tango conducted over 350 deployments that included narcotic sniffs, tracks, building searches, article finds, and apprehensions in Menomonee Falls and surrounding communities. He was involved in dozens of community presentations and community outreach engagements as an Ambassador to the Menomonee Falls Police Department every year.

On October 6th, 2026, Tango’s Handler was in the audience when our Founder, Jason Johnson, was giving his Keynote Speech at the 2026 Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler Association Annual Conference. As Jason was speaking directly to Handlers across the State of Wisconsin about how Project K-9 Hero helps Police K-9s with medical care in retirement, Tango began to have an emergency situation at home that required an immediate trip to the ER at the very moment.

Jason was made aware of the situation while at the airport to fly out of Milwaukee on October 8th. Jason learned that Tango had an undiagnosed illness, that already maxed out the department’s financial resources, and was going to require more testing and treatment that would cost thousands of dollars, and be an extreme financial burden on the Handler and his family.

The decision was made to immediately retire Tango from Police service, and an application for formally filled out and we accepted him in the program the very same day on October 9th. Over the last week, we have been paying for Tango’s diagnostic tests to determine what was clinically wrong with him. Late last night, October 14th, we finally got the news from his Cancer Risk Assessment. The results stated, “HIGH Consistent with nucleosome concentrations found in common canine cancers including lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma.” Late last light we approved Tango for an MRI to determine more details on how to treat him, and deposited $4,800.00 for the testing to occur as soon as possible.

Tango still has a long way to go, but he is only seven years old and we feel confident with the help of PK9H he CAN and WILL pull through this. We are honored to be covering these costs for his very appreciative Handler and family, which is a monetary amount, that would be a financial burden on any actively serving Police Officer. PK9H is not only covering this week’s medical bills, but we are committed to paying for all future veterinary visits, medications, supplements, diagnostic testing, and surgeries at 100%, for the rest of his life.

Please take a moment to welcome K-9 Tango to our Pack! PK9H is here to protect you after all you have done to protect the State of Wisconsin and surrounding Communities. -

WWW.PROJECTK9HERO.ORG

Please wish retired United States Army Military Working Dog/Mine Detection Dog (MDD) “Roky” (Z278), a very Happy 11th Bi...
10/14/2026

Please wish retired United States Army Military Working Dog/Mine Detection Dog (MDD) “Roky” (Z278), a very Happy 11th Birthday today!

MDD Roky, the 387th Program Member of our Project K-9 Hero Pack, is male German Shepherd, who honorably served with the U.S. Army's Engineer Canine Company, 94th Engineer Detachment at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The 94th Engineer Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, is the only combat engineer unit with mine detection and specialized search dogs. While the origins of the Army MWD Program can be traced back to World War II and again in Vietnam, the current Mine Detection Dog Program has only been around since 2005. The unit was reestablished for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, because of the influx of mines being used in combat.

MDDs proved their importance, while deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Whether it was finding an IED that was buried six-feet deep, performing casualty extraction missions, leading dismounted patrols and/or route-clearance missions, the MDDs never faulted. Their ability to find buried odor and land mines is something that cannot be duplicated. In 2019, Roky completed Military Working Dog (MWD) pre- deployment training in Yuma, AZ. This training centers on advanced, high-stress, and realistic scenarios, utilizing the desert terrain and facilities at MCAS Yuma and Yuma Proving Grounds. The 3-week MWD Team Deployment Training Course prepares handlers in detection, patrol, and live-fire exercises.

MDD Roky retired on January 1st, 2024 and was adopted by a retired enlisted Military Police Officer, and his family in Virginia, when Roky was unable to be adopted by his original handler, who was a Combat Engineer. After his service, Roky has been diagnosed with an enlarged spleen and hospitalized with a syncopal episode. Roky is also on prescribed medication for a heart condition, allergies, motion sickness, and respiratory infections costing several hundred dollars a month.

Happy 11th Birthday Roky, we at PK9H is honored to serve you, after all he has done for the United States America 🇺🇸! -

WWW.PROJECTK9HERO.ORG

Please help me congratulate both, Katelyn Johns, and Chrystal Templeton, for completing one year of employment at Projec...
10/14/2026

Please help me congratulate both, Katelyn Johns, and Chrystal Templeton, for completing one year of employment at Project K-9 Hero. If you have a retired K-9 Hero in our program, then one of these two outstanding Program Service Coordinators, is assigned to assist in ensuring their daily needs are being met. From paying invoices for veterinary care, prescription medication, supplements, food, and other expenses we as an organization cover for the retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs that we serve.

Over the past year, both Katelyn and Chrystal, have been doing an amazing job, and we as organization are very thankful to have them as part of our team. Congratulations to both of you, and Happy Anniversary, here is to many more years of “Protecting Those Who Protect Us!” -

Performers for Paws would not be possible without the businesses and organizations that choose to stand behind our missi...
10/14/2026

Performers for Paws would not be possible without the businesses and organizations that choose to stand behind our mission. 🎶🐾

This week, we want to recognize our Gold Level Sponsors for their support of Performers for Paws:

PGA of America REACH Foundation
Wh***ey House Nashville
TrueNorth Insurance and Financial Strategies
American Pet Products Association
Tito’s
Daimler Truck Financial
AllyRight
Chris Weaver Band
Pet MatRx
Fusion Veterinary Orthopedics

Performers for Paws brings together incredible artists for an intimate night you simply don’t get anywhere else—all while raising critical support for the retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs in our program.

To each of our Gold Sponsors, thank you for helping make this event possible and for standing behind our K-9 Heroes.

Protecting Those Who Protected Us. 🐾🇺🇸

10/14/2026

A short clip from my “Life Beyond The Leash” Keynote Speech last week for the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Canine Handler Association, at their 2026 Annual Conference outside of Milwaukee.

JJK9’s Five Pillars to Success:

1) Surround yourself with people who are smarter, more talented, yet just as driven as you!

2) Never turn down an opportunity that can help you or your organization grow!

3) Travel far and wide to tell as many people as you can about what you do and what your goals are!

4) Others may try imitate you, but never let that bother you, because you know that you will never let them out work you!

5) Lastly, treat every person you meet as they could potentially change your life for the better!

Do you agree with these?

What would you add to them based on your life experience?

Which one resonates with you the most?

Coffee that gives back to our K-9 Heroes. ☕🐾We’re proud to partner with Roast 2 Order, a company that continues to suppo...
10/13/2026

Coffee that gives back to our K-9 Heroes. ☕🐾

We’re proud to partner with Roast 2 Order, a company that continues to support Project K-9 Hero and the retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs in our program.

When you shop Roast 2 Order, your purchase helps give back to Project K-9 Hero and supports the lifetime care of our K-9 Heroes.

If coffee is already part of your morning, make it one more way to support the Heroes who spent their careers protecting us.

☕ Shop https://roast2order.shop and support Project K-9 Hero.

Thank you, Roast 2 Order, for helping us Protect Those Who Protected Us. 🐾🇺🇸

🇺🇸Project K-9 Hero Adoption Opportunity🇺🇸After a two years at our Project K-9 Hero Rehabilitation and Rehoming Facility,...
10/13/2026

🇺🇸Project K-9 Hero Adoption Opportunity🇺🇸

After a two years at our Project K-9 Hero Rehabilitation and Rehoming Facility, K-9 Bak is ready to find his fur-ever home. Bak served with honor and distinction for three years, as a Dual-Purpose Patrol/Narcotics Detection K-9, with an agency in Michigan and one in Wisconsin.

However, a severe aggression issue he developed around other officers and the general public led him to an early retirement. While Bak has the ability to create a strong bond with his handler, it was extremely unsafe for him to remain working. On the evening of July 11th, 2024, at 7:05 PM, we received an URGENT message from his K-9 Supervisor in Wisconsin stating that K-9 Bak was set to be euthanized the next day, July 12th, 2024, at 2:30 pm, due to his behavioral issues.

Although we had no room at our at our Rehabilitation & Rehoming Facility, our team responded immediately to make space, working overnight to save Bak's life. We spoke with the K-9 Supervisor on the morning of the 12th and gave our word that if they could cancel that scheduled appointment, we would IMMEDIATELY accept Bak into our program and select a time for them to transport him our 177-acre sanctuary in Tennessee.

🐾 In the times Bak has been in our program at our facility, he has had ZERO incidents with our Rehabilitation Staff. 🐾

Once adopted, Bak will remain a full-time program member and our organization will continue to support him for life with medical care, prescription food, and end of duty assistance. This is an opportunity to truly make a difference in a retired Police K-9s life!

If you are interested in giving K-9 Bak a fur-ever home, please read the following requirements for his adoption carefully. Bak is an extremely high-energy and intense working dog. There will be NO exceptions to these conditions.

- Must have a fenced yard or contained acreage for him to safely exercise multiple times a day.

- Must have experience in handling/owning a working dog of his caliber or breed.

- Have the ability to interact with him multiple times a day and not leave him unattended for periods over six-eight hours at a time.

- Show in person that you have the confidence and skill to appropriately handle and maintain K-9 Bak in all aspects of his care.

If you feel you meet each and every one of these requirements listed, please complete and submit our adoption application at:

https://projectk9hero.org/pages/adoption-application

If you have previously submitted an application, you meet all of the above requirements, and would like to be considered to adopt K-9 Bak, please reach out to us directly by message or email.

WWW.PROJECTK9HERO.ORG

Address

535 Griswold Street Suite 111/105
Detroit, MI
48226

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