RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) -- A citizen, a non-profit organization and a corporation have joined forces to make Richland County a safer place to live, work and play, according to the sheriff.

They believe what K-9's do to keep the community safe is a kind of puppy love to the 'inth' degree. The 17-dog K9 Unit with Richland County Sheriff's Department made over 130 apprehensions and seized more than $530 thousand dollars in narcotics in 2011 alone.
According to the sheriff, working in such stressful conditions requires a premium and very costly diet. They consume approximately 40-45 pounds of food every month to keep their top cop performance at its best.

'Is it cheap? No, because it's the best and we want the best for our dogs,'" said Sheriff leon Lott.

To help offset the cost of some of the most expensive, high-quality dog grub, are volunteer organization, Animal Mission, Natural Balance Pet Foods and a concerned citizen who wanted to make a difference in the community. They presented a $10,000 check to the Richland County Sheriff's Foundation Wednesday for food for the service dogs. Officials say such partnerships actually save taxpayers money because certain products and services may be acquired at a discounted rate.

To feed the entire K9 unit of the with such a high quality diet could cost $18,000 for one year. Thanks to the partnership, the dogs will be fed for two years. The Richland County Sheriff's Department is hoping more companies and organizations step up to form more partnerships, so the dogs can be cared for for life.

Presently, the K9 unit has 14-Belgian Malinois, one blood hound and one Dutch Shephard.