Credit: Alex Lloyd Gross/ LevittownNow.com
Credit: Alex Lloyd Gross/ LevittownNow.com
The Christmas morning actions of the Tullytown Borough Police Department were called “community policing at it’s finest” by Mayor David Cutchineal.
The entire department of part- and full-time officers banded together to get one borough family a new dog after their original dog was killed by an errant driver on Main Street less than two weeks ago.
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The previous dog, Nyla, was with the family for almost five years before the accident, said Chaneka Lawrence.
The Lawrence family, including young children, were devastated after their beloved dog’s death.
Little did Lawrence know, but officers who responded to the initial crash were planning something special for her family.
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“I was asked to contact the police and I had no idea what it was about. When I was told what they wanted to do I burst into tears,” Lawrence said.
Within a few days, Lawrence accompanied an officer to the Women’s Humane Society where they picked out Mickey, a pit bull mix puppy with a beautiful disposition. They filled out the paperwork but kept it a secret from Lawrence’s youngest child Cincere, Officer Justin Grotz said.
After a short time, all of the adoption fees were taken care of and Mickey went to live with some of the officers for a few days.
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Officer Andrew Houser and Grotz took turns feeding Mickey and playing with her. Houser kept in contact with the family and told Lawrence when to expect the dog.
Credit: Alex Lloyd Gross/ LevittownNow.com
Lawrence’s oldest son Zaikil knew about Mickey but kept it a secret from his younger sibling.
On Christmas Eve, the Tullytown road crew gave her a bath with doggy shampoo and let her play with donated toys. Petsmart also donated a collar and leash, as well as a $25 gift card.
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By 10 a.m. Christmas morning, several members of the police department boarded their patrol cars. While Mickey would not fit on Santa’s sleigh, she fit perfectly into a patrol car for the short ride from the police station to the Lawrence household.
The mayor accompanied Mickey and police to the Lawrence house.
Zaikil stood outside waiting and could hardly contain himself as he was given his new playmate, who is a bundle of energy and will keep playing until tuckered out.
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The dog immediately took to the family and smothered Zaikil and the rest of the Lawrence family with kisses.
Mickey was surrendered to the Women’s Humane Society due to his previous owner not knowing how to properly take care of her.
