Deputy Mark Limbird, 1st grader Maddie Lee, and K9 Kaleo

The Milk Bone Police Dog Donation program involves Milk Bone teaming up with grocery and/or retail chains across the country to sponsor the purchase of new police canines for K-9 units of local law enforcement agencies or airport security.  Police canines are highly trained dogs that help local law enforcement agencies serve and protect communities nationwide.

This program helps law enforcement agencies and the communities they support obtain the police dogs at no cost to tax paying citizens.  Over the past 7 years, Milk Bone police dog programs have helped law enforcement agencies acquire 270 police canines across the country.

On October 20, 2004 The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department became one of the lucky agencies to receive the generous donation.  With the donation from Milk Bone and Raley’s Supermarket (Store #444) located at East Stockton Blvd. and Bond Rd., the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department was able to add one of its newest members to the detail.

When the Sheriff’s Department found out that they were going to receive the donation, it was decided that a contest would be held at Feickert elementary school to name the newest addition to the K-9 detail.  After several days and hundreds of names the new name for the K-9 was chosen by the Sheriff’s K-9 detail.  The name Kaleo became the name for the new police K-9.  Kaleo means strong or loud voice in Hawaiian.  Kaleo received his name from first grader Maddie Lee.  Kaleo was assigned a short time later to Deputy Mark Limbird and the two of them became unit K97. Deputy Limbird and Kaleo have bonded quickly as a team and have been extremely successful at local K9 Trials and on the street. 

Kaleo continues to stay in contact with the children of Feickert Elementary.  He has returned several times to the school to say hi and to even hand out his baseball cards.  The moment he shows up at Feickert Elementary all the kids say, “Look its Kaleo”.  He loves to visit and say hi.  He is especially grateful to Maddie Lee for giving him such a fitting name.  Kaleo loves going to work and serving the citizens of Sacramento County.