Michael Klock, a patrol officer with Mount Joy Borough Police Department, was scrolling through TikTok one day last year when inspiration struck. "A police department in Florida appeared on my 'For You' page, featuring officers assisting in their jurisdiction's animal shelter," he recalled. "I liked the concept of helping homeless dogs and saw an opportunity to incorporate my police department in Mount Joy to aid in promoting local rescues."

Klock created K-9 for a Day, a program that began in November of 2022 and features a different dog or two once every three to four weeks.

"We have a great partnership with April Ruhl, owner of Keystone Pet Place in Mount Joy," Klock explained, adding that Ruhl fosters and trains the dogs to get them ready to be adopted before contacting Klock and arranging a "ride along" with an officer.

Even though it's called a "ride along," the experience is not quite what you might expect for an official K9 officer, Klock emphasized. "During our time together, a patrol officer will meet the dogs and spend some time getting acclimated with the potential adoptee," he stated. "Once the dog is comfortable, we will take it for a short walk and let it explore our patrol cars. We typically do not conduct an actual ride along as many of the pups are recovering from separation anxiety or other forms of poor situations. We attempt to keep them in an environment they are somewhat familiar with."

The goal of the program is to help each dog find his or her forever home. "To date, we have been able to assist every single one of our 'ride along' dogs in finding new homes," Klock shared. "Many of the new owners will send Keystone Pet Place pictures once the pup is settled into their new home. I try to post these on the Mount Joy PD Facebook page as we receive them."

Klock credits community support with the program's success, noting, "Many of Mount Joy's businesses help in the promotion through sharing our posts and tagging individuals who might be a good fit. I have also been on calls for service where residents ask if a certain dog was adopted or how they can help. The best way for our community to contribute is to like/comment/share so each pup receives high engagement on social media."

He encourages anyone who is interested in potentially adopting a featured dog to contact Keystone Pet Place. "The adoption process starts with a meet and greet," he said. "If the fit between the rescue and interested owner is not the best, there is no pressure involved to continue with an adoption. April and the rest of the staff at Keystone Pet Place are incredibly helpful and honest through the entire process."

Klock, who has been with the police department for three years, is the dog dad of two and understands the impact a furry friend can have on a person. "Oftentimes, I see people on their worst day and know the friendship of a pup can or would help people in bad situations," he said. "Furthermore, I look forward to being greeted by my two boys when I head home from a rough call or shift. No matter how I'm feeling, they're always jumping up and down to see me when I walk in the door."