VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Vancouver Police Department is calling on pet owners to help keep the city safer and cleaner through a program called Paws on Patrol.
Leslie Mowers is a member of the program. After the rain let up on Monday, Mowers and her dog, Harrison Ford, went to Vancouver's Leroy Haagen Memorial Park for a walk.
"It's fantastic and we walk in the rain anyway," Mowers said. "We love the rain, but yes it's a beautiful day."
While Mowers is exercising her eight-year-old dog, she is keeping a close eye on things around her.
"I'm looking for graffiti," she said. "I'm looking for anything suspicious that doesn't look right. Maybe someone is arguing or fighting or someone is down and you don't know if they're injured or taking a nap."
Mowers' situational awareness is a key component of the Paws on Patrol program.
"Listen, look, and be aware of what's happening around us," said Jordan Macfarlane.
Macfarlane is the police volunteer program coordinator for the Vancouver Police Department. She says more than five dozen people, with dogs or cats, have already signed up for the new community safety program that is only weeks old.
"This encourages all community members to be present on their walk and have non confrontational observations in their neighborhood while out doing an activity they'd already be out doing," Macfarlane said.
In the short amount of time Mowers has been part of the Paws on Patrol program, she has already called in graffiti and a bloody shirt to the non-emergency line.
"We're helping the city by being more eyes and ears," Mowers said. "The police can only be so many places so much."
Mowers enjoys what she is doing so much that she and Harrison Ford plan to stick with it for a long time.
"As long as I have him it's wonderful," she said. "I need exercise. He needs exercise. The city needs people to help them keep it clean and beautiful. Why not?"
Anyone interested in learning more information or joining the program can visit the Paws on Patrol website.