A Largo woman's desire to help people and her love for dogs, combined with her unwavering conviction, led her to donate $10,000 to help the Largo Police Department replace one of their retiring dogs.
- Woman meets new Largo K9 she helped buy
- Ursula Verderame donated $10K to Largo PD
- The department was able to replace a retiring K9
"Mrs. Verderame's gesture will benefit the citizens of Largo for years to come. She is our hero," said Largo Police Chief Jeff Undestad.
Ursula Verderame said she couldn't get the idea of buying a police dog out of her mind since her husband passed away several years ago--so she decided it was time.
"I'm sure not getting any younger, you know," she said.
On Nov. 21, Ursula's dream became a reality when she met the dog for the first time in Taylor Park. The dog, named Dietz, was accompanied by his new handler, Officer Thomas Dziamba, Majors Brad Seale and Steve Slaughter, and Lt. Tim Block.
Ursula was thrilled to see the dog, and protested that her dog better make it through school, or she would be coming after Officer Dziamb, Ursula said jokingly.
Officer Dziamba and Dietz will endure 17 weeks of K9 patrol training, culminating in a mandatory State Certification test. To pass, the team must show proficiency in obedience, apprehension, area searching, and building searching. If they pass, Dietz will earn the right to be called K9 Dietz.