Local woman creates quilt to raise money for police dogs

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A local woman with a love for quilting and animals has chosen to use her talents to help the Tulare County Sheriff's Office in a very unique way.

Delores Murch created a quilt adorned with pictures of all eight K-9 officers at TCSO and gave it to the department for use in a fundraiser.

"Anything to do with animals, that's my bag," Murch said. She's been quilting for about 18 years and does it out of a room in her Goshen home, which is filled with quilts she's made. While she's made a countless number of quilts for friends and family, she's also made upwards of thirty quilts for charity.

"When I know these little animals are being taken care of, that's my reward."

She'd previously made quilts to raise funds for spay and neuter services at the SPCA, but recently she turned her efforts to help police dogs, and she gets help from her friend Judy McDaniel with finishing the charity quilts. Murch's latest creation will raise money to help TCSO get a new K-9, an expensive endeavor: purchasing and training the dogs can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The quilt is currently being displayed at TCSO headquarters in Visalia, where people can come in, donate and get a ticket for $5 (or five tickets for $20), and be entered into a drawing.

The drawing will be held at the Sierra K-9 Trials at Central Valley Christian High School on May 4 at noon, with the winner getting to take home the quilt.