Now fully operational after roughly two years of development, My 2 Scents K9 in Onalaska will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Friday, Dec. 5.
The ribbon-cutting and open house will provide an opportunity to learn about My 2 Scents K9 work, promote ongoing anti-drug education, and demonstrate how trained scent detection dogs operate, according to a news release from the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.
The event will include vendors, dog demonstrations, coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks, with additional activities continuing Saturday.
The public is invited to join in the celebration. My 2 Scents K9 is located at 585 Leonard Road in Onalaska.
Business owner Kristi Bridgman, a 27-year law enforcement veteran from King County, spent the last decade of her career focusing on working and developing K9 teams.
Her passion for keeping communities safe and utilizing trained dogs to detect illegal substances inspired her to build a business applying those skills, the chamber said in the release.
“I began thinking about what my retirement work would be and made the decision to combine my skills and passion into a business to train dog teams for drug investigations,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman moved from King County to Winlock a few years ago to assist her parents in Onalaska, and establishing the business on their property made Lewis County the natural choice.
While there are many grant opportunities for law enforcement bomb detection K9 programs, fewer support drug-detection initiatives, resulting in limited training availability.
Bridgman began by providing free monthly drug dog training for existing teams and creating scent courses for canine sport detection before receiving a request from the Bremerton Police Department for a five-week training program.
From there, her work with local and regional agencies grew.
Upon retirement, she earned both ATF and DEA licenses, provides educational programs in schools, and continues offering sport scent detection courses as a hobby. She also remains active in community engagement, most recently creating a quilt for Lewis County Special Olympics to raffle during their annual Polar Plunge.
Vendors will be on site for the ribbon-cutting on Dec. 5 with dog-related items, including a couple local craft and food vendors. There will also be a photo booth, as well as “Sniff and Go” searches for canine scent sport enthusiasts and visitors interested in seeing working scent dogs in action.
To learn more about My 2 Scents K9, visit their website at my2scentsk9.com or on Facebook under the same name.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are hosted by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates local business milestones such as grand openings, expansions, and new ownership. Chamber membership is not required to participate.
For more information, contact the chamber at 360-748-8885 or director@chamberway.com.
