Please Welcome K-9 Abby #409
Please welcome retired K-9 “Abby” to the Project K-9 Hero Pack as our 409th Program Member.
K-9 Abby is a 14-year-old female Australian Shepherd who honorably served with the Rhea County, TN Rescue Squad for 10 years as a Search and Rescue K-9, specializing in Human Remains Detection (HRD). As a volunteer in the “Volunteer State,” K-9 Abby was registered with the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads, Tri-State Mutual Aid, the Tennessee Emergency Management Association, and Tennessee State Parks.
Many communities do not have the resources or funding for such a search, so it is vital that volunteers be able to provide this service to help in criminal investigations or bring closure to a family of a lost loved one. Most of Abby’s calls were for a “cold case” that was years old, or where human bones had been found. Some calls were for drownings, where Abby conducted her search from a boat. On a number of calls, Abby indicated a location for further investigation by law enforcement that helped detectives solve years of investigation.
On her last search before retiring, Abby indicated where the body of a drowning victim was found, even though it was less than two hours old, because of her combined abilities as a trailing dog and HRD. Whether it was training or an actual search, Abby was excited to go to work every day, providing her own equipment and training at no cost to the requesting agency. For that level of commitment to her community for over a decade, we at Project K-9 Hero made an immediate decision to step in and help Abby when she absolutely needed help from others the most.
On September 9th, K-9 Abby was admitted to the emergency hospital after a sudden loss of mobility and a high fever of 105°F. Initial tests ruled out major organ disease, and radiographs showed no fractures or spinal injury. Her care team began IV fluids, injectable antibiotics, and pain management to stabilize her condition.
Over the following days, Abby’s fever persisted, and her mobility remained limited. Further imaging and joint sampling revealed a bacterial infection in her right knee joint, causing inflammation and pain. She was started on targeted antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, and supportive care to reduce swelling and restore comfort.
Abby is now recovering at home with her family, receiving oral antibiotics, pain relief, and gentle physical support to help her regain strength in her hind leg. She continues to show courage and resilience through every step of her healing journey. The intensive care that was necessary to help her battle this bacterial infection totaled $6,058.54, which our nonprofit was honored to cover, to save Abby’s life.
Due to Abby’s impeccable service throughout her career, we placed her in our program, not just to pay for this month’s medical bills, but to pay for her medical care, treatments, follow-up appointments, frequent office visits, necessary prescription medication, plus any future diagnostic testing or surgeries for the rest of her life, at 100%.
Please take a moment to welcome K-9 Abby as our 409th Pack Member to our program. We are honored to be protecting her, after all she has done for the State of Tennessee, and the United States of America.
