Franklin Police Dept. fundraiser allows people to buy stuffed version of beloved dog

FRANKLIN — When kids meet "Frankie," the Police Department's therapy and comfort dog, they often ask his handler, Officer David Gove, if they can have the dog.

Now they can. Kind of.

"Kids are always asking if they can take Frankie home with them or volunteer to baby-sit him," said Gove. "We decided to get these stuffed Frankies and now they can take Frankie home with them."

The Franklin Police Department is selling stuffed Frankies for $20, as well as Frankie police patches for $10. All money raised benefits the efforts of the department's Community Service Unit programs, such as the leadership academy it runs for children, as well as care for Frankie and Ben Franklin, the department's other comfort dog.

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The department added Frankie early last year, and the brown lab has become extremely popular among local students. Gove started having Frankie stickers made for the children, who couldn't get enough of them.

"The kids go nuts with the stickers — we can't keep them in stock," he said. "We have to reorder them all the time. I just got 1,000 stickers and I went through 700 in three days."

California company specializes in making public safety stuffed animals

The Frankie stuffed animals were made by Hero Industries, a California company that works with public safety agencies to create stuffed animals and other items that departments can use to raise money for their agency.

Franklin police ask those who buy a Frankie to post photos of the animal in interesting places on social media and to tag the department.

"It's a fun thing for kids to do during the summer," Gove said.

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The stuffed Frankie looks like a puppy version of him and features him wearing a Franklin Police Department vest with a Frankie patch, police collar and a bone-shaped ID tag.

Currently, the Frankie stuffed dog and Frankie patches are only available at the Police Department's dispatch window and can only be paid for with cash or check. But Gove said he's working to allow for credit card and online sales after fielding inquiries from people throughout the country.

He also said this may be just the first of Frankie swag people can purchase.

"We're hoping to expand with T-shirts and things like that," Gove said. "It's a way to get kids more involved and interested. They love these little things. I really think adults are buying more of them than the kids. They're cute, I'm not going to lie."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.