The inaugural Ogle County K-9 Fund Bark and Whine Ball was held Saturday, Nov. 1, at the River’s Edge Experience in Oregon and raised $34,000 for the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, Deputy Ali VanVickle said.

The event included live music by The Vodka Boys, food catered by Ralfie’s BBQ, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.

The event sold 240 tickets. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit includes Deputy Kyle White and K-9 Gator, VanVickle and K-9 Saint, and Deputy Jacob Breitbach and K-9 Ace. Expenses for the K-9 program include food, veterinary bills, training, equipment and future K-9 acquisitions.

The K-9 unit is supported solely by fundraising and was recently established as a 501c3 nonprofit. After gun raffle fundraisers in recent years, White and VanVickle decided to attempt to fund raise in a different way with more community engagement. They have worked on organizing the event since April.

“The turnout was better than we expected,” VanVickle said. “River’s Edge was completely packed full of people. We couldn’t have asked for more from the community. It completely exceeded our expectations. We went to the Rochelle Fireman’s Ball in April and that’s where we got the idea. We probably worked 40 hours a month on it for the past seven months.”

VanVickle said each K-9 requires about $5,000 per year to maintain. K-9 Ace, who was recently purchased and finished training and began service in October, cost $16,000 to acquire and train. The fundraiser helped to replenish K-9 program funds and get them into a good place for the next two years, VanVickle said.

Part of the new funds will be used for higher-level training for K-9 Ace, such as advanced tracking. K-9s Saint and Gator will soon undergo tactical SWAT K-9 training to be used for more tasks like search warrants. A trailer already owned by the sheriff’s office will be outfitted for K-9 work and a treadmill may be acquired to keep the dogs in shape, especially during the winter months.

“Raising that much money is a huge help,” VanVickle said. “It’s very reassuring. We can take care of them and take care of them well. We plan to continue to have this fundraiser in the coming years to keep our funds up. We’re planning on November next year again.”

White and K-9 Gator have been paired for two years and VanVickle and K-9 Saint have been paired for one year. Ogle County Sheriff’s Office K-9s are used for a variety of tasks, including tracking and locating narcotics, tracking people such as lost children or crime suspects, searching buildings, locating evidence and apprehending suspects.

K-9s can also help with threat deterrent and crowd control, along with community outreach such as doing K-9 demos at events and visiting students in schools.

“It’s an easy cause to support,” VanVickle said. “I think everyone loves dogs. Our dogs are friendly and we take them to the schools and get them out and let people pet them. People love dogs, because they do things because they love people and they want nothing in return.”

VanVickle said the most enjoyable part of the Bark and Whine Ball for her was presenting the inaugural Street Dog of the Year award to Ogle County Sheriff’s Office Executive Assistant Susan Montavon.

Montavon helped establish the K-9 program as a 501c3 nonprofit, which has seen it grow its funds.

“To us, a street dog is someone who shows up and handles business,” VanVickle said. “She’s a jack of all trades. She handles a lot of different things. Anything I bring to her, she helps me with. She’ll drop whatever she’s doing. And if there’s something she can’t answer, she’ll find out. She goes above and beyond every single day to help each and every one of us here.”

As a sixth-generation Ogle County resident, VanVickle has strong ties to the community and said she was overwhelmed by its response to the inaugural Bark and Whine Ball.

“Every day, this community surprises me,” VanVickle said. “We work in a job where we see a lot of bad and ugly things. It’s reassuring to see how wonderful the community we live in can be. We want to thank the community for showing up and showing out. Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket or donated funds or an auction basket.”