Bangor Police K-9 inspires children’s book
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - You know the saying, don’t judge a book by its cover. Well, when the wife of a Bangor police officer got to know her husband’s small but skillful police K-9, she decided to put her on the cover of her own children’s book.
When Jesi began her training to become a police K-9 it became obvious she was not like the other dogs at school.
“He came home and he told me about all these big dogs that were not Labrador retrievers, she was the only one at this point in time, and I can imagine that maybe she was a little intimidated,” said Jessica Libby the author of the “Adventures of K-9 Jesi”.
“When I got told I was gonna be a K-9, I thought I was gonna get this big burly dog and go after criminals all the time, but I ended up getting the tiny little cute lab and she definitely changed the way I see K-9’s. There’s definitely different niches for each one,” Officer Lucas Libby said.
Jesi is a detection dog that tracks criminals, missing people, narcotics and more for the Bangor Police Department. She’s the first single purpose dog in Bangor’s history which her handler, Bangor Police Officer Lucas Libby, says puts her in a special position.
“I can actually bring her into schools, she can meet little kids, she can literally be sitting there getting pet by a child, and then we go look for criminals,” explained Lucas.
His wife, Jessica, wanted to share Jesi’s story so she got to writing “The Adventures of K-9 Jesi: Jesi’s first day of school”.
The story takes readers through Jesi’s experience attending the academy while highlighting important messages.
“I think a big thing is individuality and celebrating the individuality of yourself and then also any child who might be interested in becoming a police officer or law enforcement, they now have a different branch that they can look into. Not all police officers are patrolmen,” Jessica explained. “And then obviously with a very good support system in the book, you’ll see that the dogs come together to support Jesi to achieve her dream of becoming a police dog. So I think the right support system and who you hang out with matters.”
The book has sold over 200 copies since launching in February with 10% of the proceeds going to the Bangor Police Department’s K-9 unit.
“The fact that she wants to donate to K-9’s, that’s huge. We always need money for these dogs, they go through a lot, they’re expensive, but they definitely are worth it,” Lucas explained.
The Libby family is hoping to expand the reach of the book even further.
“I have gotten requests for physical copies in stores around the area, which I am working on so I will be looking for a publisher,” said Jessica.
To find a copy of “The Adventures of K-9 Jesi” you can find the book on Amazon.
Jessica also has worksheets available for teachers that are hoping to bring the book into their classroom. To learn more about that you can email her at jessicalibbyauthor@outlook.com
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