Elizabeth City police officers in 'doghouse' to raise money for new K-9 kennels

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - A local motorcycle club partnered with officers from the Elizabeth City Police Department's K-9 unit on Saturday to raise money for new kennels.

The fundraiser at the National Guard Armory on Westover Street featured food and vendors, but the most peculiar sight to see was officers Michael Cartwright and Jeremy Lunsford locked in a dog kennel.

The two are partners with the department's K-9 officers, Diego and Tino.

“They’re taught to track suspects or a missing person. They’re used to locate weapons," said Lunsford. "They’re taught for narcotics, to be able to hit in a house or a vehicle.”

And when they're not working, they're living with their human partners, but Lunsford says keeping them in the house 24/7 isn't possible.

That's where kennels come in and the four-legged officers are in need of new ones.

Through a friend, Lunsford and Cartwright say they were connected with Hampton Roads-based motorcycle group, "The Punishers" Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club. Made up of current and retired first responders, they try to give back with fundraisers several times a year.

“Being able to give back to our law enforcement community and, in this case, to K9 officers, is going to be, in my opinion, a monumental opportunity," said Roy Ross, the group's Vice President.

For the fundraiser, Cartwright and Lunsford locked themselves in the kind of kennel they're looking to buy for their K-9s.

The price to bail them out? $1,000. It may sound like a lot, but it's a fraction of the $10,000 they say it'll cost to purchase two new, climate-controlled kennels, which Lunsford says has fallen on them to fund.

“It would mean a whole lot to us to be able to get two of these for our partners so we know that they’re in better comfort," he told News 3.

Though the Punishers' fundraiser was only scheduled for one day, there is also an online fundraiser with a $10,000 goal.