K9s
for Kids was started by Ontario Police Officer Eric Weidner back in
1997, which is the same year the Inland Empire Police Canine Association
was started. The K9s for Kids program became part of the Association
that same year. The program consisted of visiting terminally ill children
in hospitals as a way to lift their spirit and show them the canines.
The first hospital visited in 1997 was Kaiser Fontana. The K9s were
so well received there that the association has been going there every
year since, as funds permitted the visits. As another part of the program,
the association purchases and then donates gifts to each child. It is
a great experience for the handlers to be a part of giving to these
special children and to help them put a smile on their faces while they
endure so much fighting to get healthy.