CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Rushing through Roopville in Carroll County, Georgia, is a chance at a new beginning.
"When we were talking about what we wanted our life to look like, it was out in the country, surrounded by dogs," said Samantha Walsh.
Dozens of dogs are finding second chances after being left by the people who were supposed to love them.
"They end up in a shelter or we had one that was found in a crate next to a dumpster," said Matt Rook.
Ink was rescued from that crate next to the dumpster and is now a drug sniffing police K-9 in Alabama.
Another dog, Drake, was given up for chasing the mailman. At Hurricane Creek K9, he's chasing a fresh start: training to be a police officer.
"We don't give up on any dog that comes here ever, regardless of the circumstances," said Rook.
Cofounders Walsh and Rook believe in rescue dogs and believe in their worth.
"When I was the police chief in Chattahoochee Hills, we didn't have a budget for K-9," said Rook.
Purebred working law enforcement dogs can cost upwards of $25,000 a K-9. Walsh and Rook figured perfectly healthy rescue dogs could do the same thing for a fraction of the cost.
"We'll drive all over the state and even the country to find these dogs and make sure they'll work with the program, and then we'll bring them back here and get to work," said Walsh.
A year after launching their nonprofit, they've placed 26 rescue dogs as rookie K9s at police departments in Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.
"You have the cost savings benefit, for the taxpayers of course, but then you have a huge way to reach out to your community because most of your community members have rescue dogs," said Rook.
Training for a year, the dogs learn to identify narcotics, go on patrol, and keep the community safe.
"We're trying to save the life of a dog that would have otherwise been put down," said rook.
Now reporting for duty for their second chance.
Not all of the dogs they save are meant to be working dogs, and they say that's OK, too. If the dog isn't a fit for a police department, they vet potential adopters for the dogs. So far, the nonprofit has saved 12 dogs that were adopted into loving homes.