New Massachusetts license plate honors K9 officers and handlers
Massachusetts has approved a new license plate design to honor K9 officers and their handlers. It's the brainchild of volunteers at the K9 PTSD Research Center in Seekonk. It's a safe haven for retired police dogs to rehabilitate from their trauma.
"The number one thing that will happen to a K9 with post-traumatic stress is that it will be euthanized because the behavior is so difficult to deal with," said the center's founder Jim LaMonte. "Now they come here, and we rehabilitate them. They never go back to service because PTSD 1 and 2 in K9s isn't curable."
Tribute to Sgt. Sean Gannon
The plate will feature a design with police dogs on the left side, as well as the initials "SG." They stand for Sean Gannon. The Yarmouth Police Sergeant and K9 handler was killed in the line of duty in 2018.
"To me, I couldn't think of a better way to honor him than people driving around recognizing those two initials," said LaMonte.
"As a parent, the worst thing you can think of is that your child is going to be forgotten," said Gannon's mother Denise Morency Gannon.
She said there were roughly 400 K9 handlers at her son's funeral. Soon, there could be 3,000 plates with his initials on the road.
"I'll cry. I will be grateful, I'll cry," said Gannon of seeing one of the plates. "I will just know that there is a friend on the road who has been through something as a handler, or known a K9 officer, or who has a K9."
3,000 plates need to be sold
They need to sell at least 3,000 plates to cover the cost of production with the state. If they exceed expectations, and there is money left over, it will go toward the center and other K9 charities. If they don't sell enough, the remaining cost will fall on the center.
"This program here is completely voluntary, no staff members are paid. We work on donations," said LaMonte. "Whatever money comes back, if that happens to be, we will divide it amongst charitable organizations."
The plates are $40 and can be purchased on the K9 PTSD Research Center website.