K9 Kimber Graduates, Officially Reports for Duty with Sartell Police Department

(KNSI) – Not sure the hat would have stayed on thanks to her big ears, but the newest officer for the Sartell Police Department is ready to report for duty after graduating.

K9 Kimber and partner Officer Kari Bonfield passed the Therapy K9 team test and received their certification on Tuesday. The pair had been training since September at various places around Sartell, including District 748 schools, Scheels, Second Street Coffeehouse and Walmart so they could handle anything that could be thrown at them. That included teaching Kimber patience.

Second Street Coffeehouse helped her pass part of the test by having her stay steady and fight the urge to attack a pup cup laced with bacon.

Soldiers 6 Facebook

K9 Kimber and Officer Bonfield got some real-world therapy dog experience when they traveled to Burnsville to help comfort those experiencing trauma after two police officers and a firefighter paramedic were gunned down while responding to a domestic assault call.

The Sartell Police Department began to relaunch its K9 program in the summer of 2023. The department had a vision of having a therapy dog when Soldiers 6 stepped in to offer a helping hand. Or paw.

Kimber came to the force from the non-profit who posted on its Facebook page that she was once behind doggy jail bars when she was rescued by the group and raised by a trainer for a short time.

They said officer Kari was “the perfect fit to lead the team.”

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