Mary Johnson Photo
Shortly before Ryan St. Pierre’s ninth birthday, he and his mom discussed toys he might want to receive as gifts. Then Ryan told his mom that he wanted to do something different.
Ryan, whose dream is to someday become a police officer, specifically a canine police officer, thought that instead of getting more toys, maybe he could take his toy money and give it to a canine unit — if Branford police had a canine unit.
His mom and dad and told him they thought there was a canine officer in Branford. After a few calls they found him. “After he made his decision, he was dead set on raising the money for the canine,” Megan St.Pierre said in an interview.
The canine turned out to be Neecko, a German shepherd. He is never far from his partner, Officer David Atkinson.
It did not take long for the family to collect $225. Then one day last month, Ryan and his family arrived at the police headquarters, where they met Officer Atkinson and Neecko.
After Ryan handed the officer the $225 that he took from an envelope, Officer Atkinson handed Ryan a nicely wrapped gift.
“You can open it up and see what it says,” Officer Atkinson told the boy.
Mary Johnson Photo
Ryan removed the paper and held up a plaque. He began to read it. The plaque celebrates his decision “to unselfishly donate” his toy money to the canine unit and to Neecko, now 7 years old. The plaque also thanks Ryan for his generosity. The funds will be used for Neecko’s needs.
Ryan’s family was beaming. “Ah,” said Megan St.Pierre, who teaches kindergarten at the John B. Sliney Elementary School, as her son Officer Atkinson and Neecko posed for a photograph with the plaque.
Ryan, who has a dog named Sammy, smiled.
Then Officer Atkinson and Neecko suggested that the family take a tour of the police station. Off they went.
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