RHEA COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – For the past few weekends, we have been following how the Rhea County Animal shelter has turned a regular 5K to raise money for their local shelter into a friendly fundraising competition between members of their K-9 tracking team.
Together, with the community’s help, they raised $5,200 dollars, with Deputy Cheyenne Swafford and her K-9 Ava coming out on top.
All of it made possible through the Battle of the Badges.
“Look at them. I can’t tell who’s walking who. I don’t know if the dog is walking the human, or if the human is walking the dog,” the announcer stated.
After weeks of preparation, the Rhea County Animal Shelter hosted its first ever Battle of the Badges, bringing together members of law enforcement and the community for a cause that supports local animals.
Deputy Cheyenne Swafford with the Rhea County Sheriff’s Office explained that the funds raised will go toward the shelter’s new building.
“These funds will go towards our new building. We have done previous interviews on it, and you can see the progress. We still have a ways to go, so these funds will help finish out the new building so we can start giving second chances to the animals in our shelter,” Swafford explained.
While the event welcomed participants of all experience levels, race winner Jake Schild said he was simply grateful to be part of something meaningful.
“My wife and I like to do 5Ks, and we have been trying to do at least one a month. Being a part of the community, being able to run with other people, and also being able to support the animals while we are doing it just makes it that much more special. To be here and run with the dogs makes it even more fun,” Schild stated.
Chief John Argo expanded on the importance of events like this, emphasizing their role in strengthening community relationships.
“If I get elected this year, this is what I want to see. I want to see this whole community come together. I want to see the men and women in the department involved. I think this is part of community policing, and I love to see the sheriff’s department get involved with that because that is what links the department and the people together, and that is what makes our community stronger,” Argo explained.
Swafford also shared that the overwhelming support from the community could turn the event into a yearly tradition.
“We expected to have quite a few runners come out, but we saw almost 200 runners show up just for our first event. We had two-legged runners and four-legged runners. This is a great time to come out and support animals getting a second chance. We look forward to making this an annual event. We are open to feedback and seeing what the community would like to see next year,” Swafford stated.
Although Sergeant Hunter Florey was confident heading into the competition, he and his K-9 Lycan did not take the top fundraising spot.
Deputy Swafford and her K-9 Ava placed first in fundraising.
However, Sergeant Florey still secured first place in his age group during the race.
Because of the community’s support, more animals now have a better chance at finding a safe place to call home, with funds also helping move the shelter closer to a new building.
Click here to donate to the Rhea County Animal Shelter.
