Eagle Scout leads charge to memorialize Douglas County K-9s

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will soon be getting a new memorial to honor K-9s who have given their lives in the line of duty, and it all started because of the dream of an Eagle Scout from Boy Scouts of America Troop 770.

“I wanted to find something that I could be passionate about,” said Sam Callery, who also grew up in Douglas County.

For his Eagle Scout project, he combined his love for animals and appreciation for law enforcement to develop his memorial. Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said this is also something dear to his heart.

“To have Sam come forward and want to put a memorial together was just — it frankly touched my heart. These dogs are amazing,” Weekly said.

Weekly was a K-9 handler himself and said these dogs are like family.

“You spend, you know, 10 hours a day and you’re taking care of them and everything else. And after they retire, they become a pet. And so the bond between the handler and the dog is very special,” Weekly said.

It came together a couple of months ago, when Callery approached the sheriff’s office with his idea. Then, he went before the Douglas County commissioners, who welcomed the idea with open arms.

Then, the real work began.

“We had to start doing research about, like, plans and statues and, like, what type of dog to get because it’s a very specific type of police dog,” Callery said. “For the plaque, we had to get all the names of the dogs and the years they served. And we asked the plaque company to do, like, a mock for us and it looked really nice.”

The plaque is on its way and the bronze statue of a K-9 could take five months once it has been ordered. Now, Callery just has to raise money for the statue, and he has a link set up for people to donate . He must raise $15,000 for the project to be complete, and as of Thursday, he had just under $10,000 left.

“It’s a big project and it’s not easy to do on your own. So, I’m very grateful to everyone that’s helped me. It’s just been a really cool journey,” Callery said.

Weekly said he is looking forward to having a memorial for their citizens to be able to see when they go to the justice center.

“We have one of the most robust K-9 programs in the entire state of Colorado. So it’s very fitting that this memorial is here,” he said. “Sam has done an excellent job on this project, just thinking of every conceivable part of the project. It was just exceptional. It’s going to be a great addition to the justice center and all the citizens who come here will be able to see it.”

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