Utah paint shop customizes casket for K9 that died in the line of duty
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — The crew at RawTin Garage in West Valley is used to handling unique jobs.
Their West Valley City shop is full of classic cars and motorcycles being restored or customized.
But the crew received a call from Herriman Police this week asking for help with a custom job unlike any they’d previously done.
“I was all in, man. To me, dogs are sacred,” artist Keith Eccles told 2News.
Herriman Police had a casket for their K9 Hondo, who died in the line of duty last week. The officers were wondering if RawTin could help give Hondo a unique casket for his memorial service.
“Hondo is a special one and deserves nothing less. He really is a hero. This is our opportunity, or our way that we can give back a little bit,” RawTin owner John Ward said.
The crew got to work early Thursday, and by Friday morning they were ready to hand over the casket for Hondo.
“We only had a 24-hour span to do it, and it just came together, literally it just came together,” Eccles said.
The casket features a "thin blue line" themed American flag and a hand-painted portrait of Hondo.
“On that casket, there’s certain meanings that are unique to the dog, the community, the police force,” Ward said.
Herriman Police had a private viewing of Hondo for his handler’s family and the police department.
A public memorial service is planned for Saturday, February 29 at Herriman High School at 11 a.m.
