Redding Lions Club enjoys special visit from SCSO K9 “Hondo”

REDDING —  Enterprise Lions Club members in Redding enjoyed a special visit earlier today from Shasta County Sheriff K9 Handler, Deputy Tim O’Hara and his canine companion, “Hondo.”

During the visit, Deputy O’Hara and Hondo mingled with Lions Club members, answered questions fielded by Club members, and got to know those who were at the club, while “promoting relations between the community and law enforcement through education of the public on the modern day use of the law enforcement K9.”

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“It’s opportunities such as this that allow members of our local community to learn about the uses of a law enforcement K9,” Friends of Shasta County K9 wrote on social media after the special visit.

Friends of Shasta County K9 is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, volunteer organization that spearheads fundraising efforts to assist the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office to purchase, train, equip, and provide veterinary care for their law enforcement K9’s.

According to their website, in addition to fundraising efforts, Friends of Shasta County K9 promotes safety, training, and education, and “acts as a liaison with the public.”

The organization also uses social media to share the activities of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office K9 teams, “both in their law enforcement capacity as well as when they participate in educational demonstrations with civic organizations or community oriented venues.”

Through their efforts, FOSCK9 also shares “helpful tips to educate the public on the care of their own canine family members and so much more!” their website explains.

“The K9 team routinely gets invited to civic organizations such as the Lions Club because they are curious about the K9’s and their uses,” FOSCK9 Secretary/Treasurer Kelly Kropholler told SCNS after today’s event.

“We see these opportunities as important because many of the members of these organizations are very active in the community and help us to spread information about the K9 team,” Kropholler continued. “And these events are a great way to do that.”

Toward the end of the meeting, Deputy O’Hara and K9 Hondo were presented with a certificate of appreciation for their participation as guest speakers.

FOSCK9 organizers later expressed their gratitude for the special opportunity writing, “Thank you Enterprise Lions for the invitation!” 

For more information about Friends of Shasta County K9, visit them on Facebook or online. More information about Enterprise Lions Club can also be found on Facebook and online.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.