K9 Nick photo via Fresno Police Department/KMJ

Westwoods BBQ in Fresno announced an $86,000 pledge to the Fresno Police Chiefs Foundation Thursday to help get more four-legged officers on the force.

Westwoods Owner Dave Fansler made a $50,000 check presentation to Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama aired live on KMJ radio. Fansler pledged an additional $36,000 in support over the next three years.

Fansler said K9 officers serve a pivotal role in policing.

“I’ve learned more about the importance of police dogs for the safety of officers,” Fansler. “It’s a cause I wanted to get behind.”

The nonprofit Fresno Police Chiefs Foundation earmarks money for various programs to support community safety. Fansler said the Westwoods donation would cover the purchase of two police dogs as well as their feeding, supplies and training.

One of the Fresno Police Department’s newest K9 officers joined the force in March, reported KMJ. K9 Nick is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois named after Nick Kauls, a San Joaquin Memorial High School students who was murdered during an armed robbery in Old Fig Garden in 2018.