It's with a heavy heart that I write this post today. Recently, I was contacted by Officer John Myers, a 20 year veteran of the Portland, OR police department. At first, his call didn't seem any different than any other business call that I might get throughout the day, but I soon found out that this call would touch my heart. He began by asking me about our printed tennis balls and wanted to know if a certain type of imprint could be done. He then explained what he was hoping to have printed on them.

He told to me, as I was unaware, the story of "The Thin Blue Line". He explained that, in the Armed Forces, it is well known that The Thin Blue Line represents the line between good and evil and is a symbol used to honor those lost in the line of duty. He then told me, that on April 16, 2014, Mick, a K-9 officer in his unit, bravely made the ultimate sacrifice to protect his human partner. He was shot and killed in the line of duty…

My heart sank. Of course, I immediately offered my sincerest apologies, but no words could possibly express how I felt at that moment. John wanted to have these tennis balls printed to use as a fundraiser, to earn money to purchase Body Armor for the remaining K-9's in the unit, since MICK, our brave, fallen friend, hadn't been wearing any.

As it turned out, the type of image he was requesting to have printed on the tennis balls, was not something that could be done by any of my suppliers, but there was no way I was going to turn away from someone working toward such a worthy cause. I created a symbol for him of a paw print with a blue band, representing The Thin Blue Line. He added the words "MICK" and E.O.W (End of Watch) 4-16-14. Together, we had come up with a solution that worked to get the message across.

John will be selling the "MICK" Tennis Balls for $5.00 each. The money earned will go to the Portland Oregon Police K-9 Division to be put toward the purchase of K-9 Body Armor for the K-9 officers in the unit, as well as to help add a new K-9 officer to the force, although I'm quite certain, it will be impossible to replace such a brave soul. Thanks to Mick's bravery and sacrifice, his partner, Officer Jeff Dorn is alive and recovering. He attributes his life to Mick.

If you are interested in helping out this cause, you may do so by calling Extreme Products (Officer Myers' Tactical Arms business) and asking to purchase the "MICK" Tennis Ball. Please call 503-657-4806 Monday - Friday between 10am - 6pm Pacific Standard Time. You may also check them out on Facebook @Extreme Products.

Tax-deductible donations can be sent directly to the Portland Police Bureau K-9 Unit:

Portland Police Bureau K-9 Unit
4735 East Burnside Street
Portland, Oregon 97215

Please dig deep when giving to this cause and let's pray for a safe return

from each and every watch for both K-9 & human officers alike, as they risk their lives to protect & serve.

Thank you for your time and generosity.

Please watch: A Salute to a Fallen Hero Video

Paws 2 Purrfection, LLC - Promotions, Displays & More provided this order with a 15% discount on the product

and donated the artwork creation free of charge. RIP MICK. You are in our hearts & prayers.