VIDEO/PHOTOS: A Lake Country Fire Department assistant chief has retired from his position to launch a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing therapy dogs to first responders nationwide, following the sudden death of his beloved K-9 partner. “That is her legacy, that is what she is going to leave, and I’m just the one who is going to make sure it happens,” Matt Haerter, the founder of K9 Tesla Foundation, said. Haerter started the K9 Tesla Foundation after the therapy dog, Tesla, suffered a sudden spinal stroke earlier this year and died. “She had a spinal stroke right in front of me, and it was it. It was an incredible shock,” Haerter said.
K9 Tesla had served the Lake Country Fire Department and community for six years, responding to more than 1,000 incidents and helping hundreds of people. Haerter personally funded Tesla’s specialized training to become a therapy dog for first responders and community members. His decision to create the foundation stems from witnessing the mental health struggles within his department, including suicide among colleagues. Teslaโs loss affected not only Haerter but the entire community that had come to know and rely on her therapeutic presence.
