Gilpin’s police dog now has a fund designated for his expenses.

Township supervisors Monday approved a Gilpin Township K-9 Fund, an account specifically for donations that go toward the dog’s needs.

Rudy is a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois certified police dog that specializes in detecting drugs such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Rudy’s contributions include tracking, search-and-rescue and drug detection.

Gilpin Supervisors Chairman Charlie Stull said Rudy also attends township events such the annual trunk-or-treat and guards Santa during the Christmas parade.

He lives and patrols with his handler, police Chief Chris Fabec.

Rudy was added to the police force in 2019. He was certified by the North American Police Dog Work Association.

He’s the second active police dog in Armstrong County, with another K-9 working with the Armstrong County Sheriff’s Department.

“Rudy is free to Gilpin taxpayers,” Stull said. “All equipment and training has been provided by donations or time donated.”

The high cost of training a police dog is one reason why many municipalities don’t have one.

Allegheny Valley Regional police Chief Mike Naviglia donated about 100 hours of his time in training Rudy for more than 10 weeks. Naviglia said training costs average about $10,000.

Ongoing dog training costs are about $1,200 to $2,000 annually, according to Stull.

Stull said Naviglia continues to volunteer his training services to Rudy at no charge, but if circumstances were to change, the fund could potentially cover Rudy’s ongoing training costs.

Leechburg businessman Mark Fetterman donated money in 2019 for Rudy’s custom bulletproof vest, which is valued at about $1,200.

Fabec spends his own money on Rudy, too.

Some of Rudy’s regular expenses include food and veterinarian bills.

Stull said Rudy has settled into his K-9 patrol role.

“I feel just knowing Rudy is here in the township not only makes residents feel more secure, but also lets wrong-doers see that they shouldn’t mess around in our township,” Stull said.

A T-shirt fundraiser featuring Rudy is in the works, and proceeds will benefit the fund.

Supervisor Linda Alworth said a designated fund for Rudy is a good idea.

“Rudy’s been a great addition to the police force because drugs have been running rampant like in all small towns,” Alworth said. “Rudy is very valuable when it comes to detecting drugs in cars and on people, and it’s a deterrent. I want people to know we have Rudy in Gilpin, and if they get pulled over and there’s suspicion of drugs, Rudy will be called in.”