Elks Lodge pancake breakfast returns to raise money for Indio police K-9 unit

The Indio Police Department's three-dog K-9 unit could see another dog added to the mix soon, police officials said today, and an upcoming fundraiser could provide the catalyst.

The Indio Elks Lodge is hosting its yearly pancake breakfast fundraiser on Saturday for the local police dog unit, composed of Mikey, an English lab, two German shepherds, Asko and Loki, and their handlers.

The dogs and handlers will be there starting at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast is $8, and includes pancakes, bacon and various drinks.

Money raised from the fundraiser typically goes to new equipment, additional training, and this year, possibly, to pay for a fourth police dog, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.

Mikey, the English lab, is the drug and gun powder detector. The two shepherds work on patrol, and are also cross-trained in drug detection, and they aren't cheap to maintain.

"They are pretty babied," Guitron said."They are well taken care of.''

The dogs eat specialized food, and the unit often incurs spur-of-the-moment costs to replace old equipment. The yearly Elks Lodge fundraiser helps offset the costs, Guitron said.

Despite the dogs often being donated from community members, costs associated with their training and up-keep tend to rack up quick.

Every night, Indio's police dogs then go home with their handlers.

"They are a part of their family, which is really nice," Guitron said.

After their retirement, the dogs often get sold to their handlers for $1, a department custom, but the dogs are often reluctant, Guitron said "because they love serving.''

Indio Elks Lodge #1643 is located at 45301 Madison St.