On December 31st, Ben announced a grant to the Aurora Police Department, who had recently re-established their K-9 unit with the addition of K-9 Nero and plans to use the funds to finish Nero’s training and outfit him with a bulletproof vest.

A proud Officer Riley wanted to show off his hard working and hard-training partner:

NeroCollage
On January 4th, Chris Daley,a retired K9 officer and owner of Blue Mountain Canine Services, emailed us with an offer: to make & donate a collar for each dog that Ben’s foundation donates! Now these aren’t just regular dog collars we’re talking about – they are custom leather made specifically for working dogs with the K9’s name and an American flag laser-etched into the leather on the outside. The department’s name is etched on the inside. The Aurora Police Department was thrilled to receive the gift, and so was Nero.

“Officer Riley put it on Nero and he has not been on duty without the collar!” — Lt. Andy Lumpkins.


Nero wanted to show off his new collar, but he also wanted to look into the camera and look around and…well, just not sit still for a moment, so he received an assist from Officer Riley:

NeroCollar

“I sure hope my partner is at least getting my GOOD side in this shot! Sigh!” — Nero.



*Thank you so much to the Aurora Police Department for sharing these great photos, and a special “Thank You: to Chris Daley for your contribution to Ben’s foundation!!

You can check out Mr. Daley’s website here.