Officer Travis Morton and his K-9 partner alongside the kennel club staff members.
Victoria Sanderson | The Robesonian
LUMBERTON — A local K-9 officer was recognized at the Palmetto to Pines Dog Show.
The Moore County Kennel Club, NC, and the Myrtle Beach Kennel Club dog show associations are hosting a joint dog show through today. MCKC President Jane Hammett said this year’s event is the second collaboration between the two organizations.
Lumberton Police Department K-9 Officer Travis Morton and his canine partner Bart were recognized and thanked during the halfway point of the show.
“Last year, our police department were so accomodating toward one of our judges who was involved with a hit-and-run,” Hammett said. For this year’s Palmetto to Pines Dog Show, the MCKC paid for a K-9 unit security team as both a precaution and a show of appreciation to the Lumberton Police Department.
Morton has been with the police force since 2017, and in the K-9 unit since 2022, though he has not worked with Bart the whole time. His first canine, Rico, passed away in January, and Bart is only a few weeks into the job.
“He’s been doing really well,” Morton said. “He’s deployed on a couple of vehicles. We haven’t found anything major yet, but he’s gotten out!”
The Palmetto to Pines Dog Show will run through today at the Southeastern Agricultural Center.
Contact Victoria Sanderson at [email protected].
