Snohomish Police Dog Faces Unemployment

Snohomish City Council has more budget cuts to make and tonight they will decide if the police department's drug-sniffing dog Dixie will have to pack up all her toys, rawhides, and move on to a new home. The crime-fighting Dixie is a 7-year-old shepherd-collie that costs the city $16,000 a year(!) in vet bills, dog food, grooming, kennel, and training costs. For three years, Dixie has been a dedicated "officer" sniffing out drugs and even $25,000 of drug money, but as an older dog with few working years left, she is a prime four-legged candidate to get a pink slip. Her K-9 counterpart Kizar, a young German shepherd trained to track fleeing criminals, will stay on the force for now.