PALM HARBOR — Some of the Tampa Bay area’s most dedicated law enforcement employees were honored at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens’ 16th annual K-9 memorial ceremony.
Six K-9 service dogs were honored at the Feb. 27 ceremony — three from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department and three from local police departments, including Clearwater and Gulfport — and about 100 attendees met the dogs and handlers that keep our community safe.
“Law enforcement dogs and their human handlers often share a bond that goes deeper than the typical relationship between a pet and an owner,” Curlew Hills Memory Gardens president and chief executive Keenan Knopke said. “It’s a connection formed over months of rigorous training, countless hours spent in each other’s company, and shared dangers. We are extremely proud that we can offer this memorial service to the brave officers and loyal dogs who give so much to our community.”
The serene facility, located at 1750 Curlew Road, features one of Florida’s only authentic pet cemeteries, where more than 100 service dogs are laid to rest, according to officials. The company reportedly donates burial plots in the pet cemetery to all service animals of law enforcement agencies. Without this donation, the handler would typically pay for the burial of the animal upon his death.
“It’s our way of saying thank you to the law enforcement community, and the K-9s, especially, because they work so hard,” Knopke told Tampa Bay Newspapers at the 2020 ceremony. “But when they retire, a lot of times they get forgotten. This way when they do pass, it’s a place for the officers to remember them … and it’s also a place where the public can come pay their respects when they want to.”
For more information, call Curlew Hills at 727-789-2000, or visit CurlewHills.com.