BALTIMORE — Kids at the Ronald McDonald House gathered to meet the new K-9 puppies they named for the Baltimore City Police Department.
“We’ve been around for 41 years and we never ever had a puppy naming ceremony, so it's history tonight at the Ronald McDonald House," said Sandy Pegnotti-Mayhew, CEO of Ronald McDonald House.
The puppies, whose names are Riley and Nova, are the newest additions to the department and are still in training to become full-time police dogs.
“They’re both 16 months old, they have already been certified for EOD, which means explosives and guns; they are one of the youngest two puppies in the country that have been trained that quickly," said Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley.
The puppies also got custom collars with their new names on them.
Pegnotti-Mayhew says it's important for the house to give the kids exciting opportunities like this and to give them a sense of a normal life.
“They have got enough to deal with on their hearts and their minds at the hospital with the treatments and everything going on, we try to do all the things that bring joy and life and something happy," she said.
Worley says this partnership also means a lot for the K-9 officers.
“It helps to build the community trust in the police department, it helps the department grow, and it makes not only the children and families feel good but also makes our officers feel good; you see how many officers are here now," Worley said.
“Things like this, people may think, 'Oh, its a 15-minute ceremony,' and they may think that it's just a small thing, but it's actually a big thing," Pegnotti-Mayhew said.
With the two new puppies, the Baltimore City K-9 Unit now has 19 police dogs in service.
