UNION COUNTY - Two Union County businesses have established a fund aimed at helping the sheriff's department buy a police dog to help combat the area's drug problem.

Extreme Physique in Jonesboro and Great Boars of Fire in Anna together have placed $1,000 in an Anna State Bank account reserved for community contributions to help deputies purchase a drug-sniffing dog and establish a K-9 unit within the sheriff's department.

Joan Graves Edwards, operator of Extreme Physique, said people are welcome to drop money into the bank account at any time. Just tell the clerks the money is for the canine fund.

"This is a thing that everybody can help with," Edwards said. "It doesn't have to be a big amount of money either. One man, whenever he found out about it ? emptied out all the change in his pockets and said he wanted it to go toward the dog fund. It wasn't the amount, it was the thought that went into doing something good for the community."

Edwards, along with Great Boars co-owner Bob Fombelle, decided to allow people who wanted to give to go directly to the bank with their contributions, instead of writing checks through an organization. The goal is to raise nearly $10,000, with roughly $5,000 going to purchase a dog and the other $5,000 going toward training of the animal and deputy who will be assigned as its handler. Other businesses in the area have offered food and medical care to the dog.

Edwards said the bank will cut a check directly to whom the sheriff's department decides to buy from if and when enough money becomes available. The account is controlled by the sheriff's department, too.

Union County Sheriff Jim Nash said the last time he checked, the account balance still hovered around the $1,000 mark, although it has increased somewhat.

"It's good that people are helping and interested in seeing something like this," Nash said. "Of course we don't have the money in our budget to do it. It's good they are thinking of us."

Nash said purchasing and training drug-sniffing dogs is a long and involved process, but he added it is something communities in the county could benefit from.

"I've had all kinds of people request a dog. The schools, I know, really depend on doing drug searches with a dog," Nash said.

Edwards said the idea for the community to help purchase a canine came when she overheard people in the gym talking about the county's ongoing methamphetamine problem.

"We were talking about the meth and drug problems, because Union County is the third highest county in the state for meth and drug problems," she said. "They thought we needed this to help protect us and help protect the officers."

Edwards said she hopes the community will put forth enough funds to purchase a dog, train it and even equip it with a bulletproof vest for protection.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

(618) 529-5454 ext. 5090