All posts by Rene Averett

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Barks and Badges This Saturday!

Yes! Barks and Badges is still on although the bright sunny day is predicted to be HOT! Last time we checked, it will be around 84-degrees at 10 am when the gates open for the event. By 2 pm, it will be about 94 degrees. Of course, this is Reno, and those temps are subject to change at a moment’s notice!

Still, please plan for the hot weather. Wear light-colored clothing to reflect the heat, carry an umbrella or a sun hat to protect your skin, use sunscreen and bring plenty of water or be prepared to purchase drinks at the event. We will have three food trucks on the site, including the ice cream one! Make sure the kids have protection also. If you have hand-held and battery-operated personal fans, bring those.

While there is quite a bit of shade at the park, some of the events are in the arena where none is available, so please be prepared.

Do NOT bring any pets to the park during this event and don’t leave them in your car. It will be too hot!

If you are concerned about our WCSO K9s, they will not be out in the sun for any extended time and they have an air-conditioned vehicle to rest in between appearances.

We hope to see many of you there, so stop at the K9 Partners booth and say hello.

Events

Barks and Badges

Just two weeks away!

K9 Partners, in conjunction with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, will be hosting Barks and Badges 2025 at Bartley Ranch Park, just off Lakeside Drive in Reno, Nevada.

This FREE event welcomes everyone to come learn about Washoe County Services, our amazing First Responders, and meet the K9 team from the Sheriff’s Office. The event runs from 10 AM to 2 PM with several demonstrations of the K9s showing some of the skills and techniques used to handle scenarios. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet some of the K9s and their deputy handlers.

We also have representatives from numerous health, wellness, and safety organizations, such as Safe Kids Washoe County and Child ID, that will be happy to talk with you about their services.

Other vendors have unique items to sell, and K9 Partners will have a booth where you can buy shirts, mugs, and souvenir license plates. They will also answer questions you have about our organization and how to get a custom K9 license plate and why we’re encouraging them.

An area for children’s game is set aside where your youngsters can play games, talk to each other, and perhaps get their faces painted. Artsy Fartsy Mama will be wielding her paintbrush nearby.

We’ll have three food trucks on the Site:
Taster’s Paradise Café & Bakery
Super Swirl
Lety’s Tacos

For a full list of vendors, visit our Vendor Page.

Mark your calendar now and plan to come see us at this year’s event.

Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful for the support of all of you in our mission to provide needed equipment and training for our Washoe County K9 teams. Have a wonderful day!

We’d like to remind you that we have the K9 license plates available at the Nevada DMV. You can use these on any vehicle that uses a Nevada plate, including motorcycles. For more information, click here.

We also have the 2025 Calendars available now for a $20 donation, plus $5 for shipping. Or you can pick one up at Scheels. Go here to order.

Events, New Dogs, Uncategorized

Meet & Greet at Scheels This Saturday!

Hey, K9 lovers! A few of our Washoe County Sheriff’s Office K9s will be at the Scheels store at Legends on Saturday, November 16 to greet all the lovely people who want to meet them. Rumor has it our newest K9 Maggie will be there.

K9 Partners will be set up with some merchandise including shirts, mugs, and our 2025 calendar right off the presses. This is the first opportunity to get a copy. Come say hi and meet the dogs!

New Dogs

Meet the Newest K9 Team!

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office K9 team has a new member. Say hello to K9 Maggie and Deputy Smith! K9 Maggie is a single-purpose dog and she specializes in sniffing out explosives.

From the WCSO Press Release:

A Short Hair Pointer, K9 Maggie hails from the Netherlands. After a multi-stage process that prepares a handler and a K9 Unit to work as a cohesive team, she was selected and paired with Deputy Smith. Deputy Smith has worked at the Sheriff’s Office for two years and is currently assigned to the detention facility.

“Congratulations to Deputy Smith and K9 Maggie on successfully completing the Nevada POST certification. K9 Maggie’s service will be a terrific benefit to our region, and we are excited to watch her work in both the detention facility and in the field. I look forward to the great things this partnership will do in serving and protecting Washoe County. Thank you, as well, to @washoecountyk9partners for their generous donation and for bringing Maggie to our office.” – Sheriff Darin Balaam