Pictured, from left, are Warsaw Police Department Officer Clayton Rieder and K9 Red; Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Fire Marshal Joe Fretz and K9 Raven; Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Caleb Snyder and K9 Buck; Paws and Claws Owner Melissa Rone; KCSO Sergeant Travis Shively and K9 Blue; and KCSO Deputy Kyle Denton and K9 Axel. Photo provided by Paws and Claws.

Press Release

WARSAW — Every year, Paws and Claws in Warsaw hosts a Secret Santa for the dogs and cats in the community.

Customers are invited to shop for someone else’s pet by drawing a name from the Santa Paws tree and the store augments each gift with a hefty number of new treats, supplies and toys. This year, Paws and Claws included the K9s serving Kosciusko County in the gift exchange. Collectively, there are a total of nine working K9s trained to assist law enforcement in the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office, Warsaw and Winona Lake Police Departments, and Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory.

“As animal lovers, the dogs have a special place in our hearts for obvious reasons, but also because they are working to make our community a better place,” said Melissa Rone, new owner of Paws and Claws and Co. “Handling and caring for a working dog also requires significant commitment and dedication. We appreciate the officers and how they care for these animals that are a great resource in our community.”

The Paws and Claws Secret Santa Paws exchange is a fun way to build community, and allows participating customers to give to other pet owners while also receiving extra goodies for their pet during the holidays. Customers can spend as much as they want on a pet with a required minimum of $25 to participate.

“When I bought the store in May, it was the most frequently asked question from our customers,” said Rone. “Everyone wanted to know if we were keeping Secret Santa for the holidays. I wanted to include the K9s this year as a thank you from our shop and the community. While a couple of the dogs were chosen by community members to shop for, we took care of the rest. Because they are working dogs, they are not allowed to have all the items we traditionally give our pets like stuffed toys and treats. We brought in extra tough toys for the K9s, and hopefully they enjoy them over the holidays when they aren’t serving our community.”