A Delaware County police detective is going viral for his mission to find a loving family for every “bully dog” stuck in a Philadelphia-area animal shelter.
Detective Richard Jones, who serves with the Trainer Borough Police Department, launched “Police Helping Paws” in October 2024 after he connected with the Pennsylvania SPCA on social media.
Jones has built up large followings on TikTok and Instagram with videos of himself conducting basic training exercises with bully breed dogs who are staying at the SPCA’s Philadelphia and Chester Springs shelters.
“The best part about it is it shows what the dogs are capable of, and they’re really relatable,” Jones said. “These adult bullies are a perfect fit for a lot of homes.”
Jones would argue they’re also a perfect fit for police departments — Trainer Borough is home to two of the state’s first law enforcement-certified pit bulls.
“Pulled from shelters, now fully certified police dogs, fighting labels and stereotypes,” the text on screen reads in a video of Jones showcasing K-9s Ace and Jack.
By showcasing the work of his department’s pit bulls, he’s built up his TikTok following to more than 236,000 people.
Trainer Borough Police Department
“I think people are amazed to see former shelter dogs do these things,” Jones said. “I want to convey that any dog can really do this, and any person is really capable of doing it.”
Sarah Brown, who works for the Pennsylvania SPCA, said the organization’s shelters have been operating at full capacity since the start of the pandemic.
She said most of the dogs in their care are bully breeds, and the spotlight Jones brings to those dogs helps them get adopted.
“Bully-type breeds are often overlooked in the shelters,” Brown said. “It’s getting them out and showing their true personality.”
Brown said Jones’ social media effort has already led to at least three dogs getting adopted.
Jones urged families who plan to adopt from a shelter to go in without any pre-conceived notions, and let the dog pick you.
“I think people would be really surprised, happily surprised, at what they would find in a shelter,” Jones said. “They think it’s sad, but I’ve been going to these shelters now for four, five months, and I can’t wait to go.”
If you’re interested in adopting from the Pennsylvania SPCA, click here.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
