Police officers in Windsor, Ont. just brought a little light to the Brown family.
After hearing about how Sasha, the family's dog, went missing and was killed by a car around Thanksgiving, a group of police officers raised money to buy the family a new puppy, a Labrador named Jake.
No one was happier than Alex Brown, the family's 13-year-old son, the Windsor Star reports.
Alex has Asperger syndrome. He and three-year-old Sasha were "inseparable." Although she wasn't a trained service dog, she had a calming influence on him.
It was tough on all the children when she disappeared, but especially took a toll on Alex.
His mom, Jackie Brown, said her eldest son wasn't able to sleep for three nights when Sasha went missing, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
“It really bothered a lot of us and it struck a chord in our hearts and we wanted to do something."
The family had to return home to Ottawa before finding Sasha, but volunteers and the local police kept searching. Sadly, her body was found in an off-road ditch.
“It really bothered a lot of us and it struck a chord in our hearts and we wanted to do something." Windsor police Const. Sean Patterson told CTV News. "We just couldn’t sit by and do nothing."
Patterson said the officers were able to raise about $3,000, according to the Windsor Star.
“Picking up Jake today and seeing him, absolutely beautiful. To see Alex smile, it’s very special,” she told the Windsor Star Saturday. “It means a lot. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the smile.”
In addition to the seven-week-old puppy, the department also gifted the family a dog bed, a crate, a leash that says Alex and Jake, dog food and a plaque etched in memory of Sasha.
And there was still money left over for the family. The constable said any money they don’t need is expected to be donated to train service dogs.
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