Heroic Dog’s Death Elicits $7,000 in Donations

LaVerne Wheeler has two dogs that are blind, a cat named Tommy and a soft spot for stories with happy endings.

So when Wheeler heard about the death of Conny, the heroic Santa Ana police dog who was put to sleep earlier this week, she didn’t really give much thought to what needed to be done. She picked up the telephone and offered to donate $4,500 to buy the police a new dog.

“I just thought it would be a good opportunity to help,” said Wheeler, an elderly Newport Beach widow. “I thought it was my privilege to help.”

The 8-year-old German shepherd was put down Wednesday because of a degenerative hip ailment. Conny had served the police with distinction for five years.

The dog’s death left his handler, Officer Mike Fleet, without a dog. “I knew what he was going through because I have lost a lot of dogs myself,” Wheeler said Friday afternoon during a press conference in Santa Ana. “They were like two people acting as one. It’s pretty sad to lose your little dogs.”

Sgt. Raul Luna, head of Santa Ana’s canine unit, said another $2,500 has been donated by “people who heard about Conny’s death and just called up and offered money.”

“We’ve received probably 25 calls and a bunch of donations,” he said. “One woman called from Brea and was crying. She said she just couldn’t read the whole story because it brought back memories of all the pets (her family) had owned and illnesses in the family.”

Luna said a local artist had also offered to paint a picture of Conny to hang in the Police Department.

“The response from the public has been really heartwarming,” he said. “Another woman called today and said she’d like to donate to the canine fund and said once her house closes escrow in two weeks, we’d be getting a substantial amount of money.”

A replacement dog will cost about $6,000. Donations left over from this purchase will be kept in a replenishment fund.

Wheeler said she often donates money to animal-rights causes, but the story of Conny touched a nerve.

“You know I have no family,” she said, “but I have two little dogs--one is 15 and the other is 12--who are both blind. And a kitty cat, Tommy. He’s 6. The kitty engineers the dogs around (the house) because he senses the importance of it. They are all so close to me, even though they are tiny little characters.

“If you own a dog you know what it is like” to lose one, she added. “I just have a fondness for animals.”