T-shirts inspired by Meridian officer’s skillful dog handling

A Meridan police officer’s triumphant remark after he patiently prodded a pair of aggressive dogs into his cruiser last summer is featured on the back of a T-shirt that’s being sold to raise money for canine encounter training for Idaho officers.

The back of the white T-shirt says: “How do you like me now?” under an illustration of a police car with two happy-looking dogs in the back.

It’s a reference to an incident that Officer David Gomez handled in July last year. He used several techniques to control a pair of loose dogs, including verbal commands, expandable baton and pepper spray, before he was able to coax them into his vehicle. His body camera video went viral after an Idaho woman shared it online.

The T-shirts, which cost $17, are being sold to help cover the costs of a “training the trainer” dog-handling workshop in Meridian this fall. The T-shirts are on sale for a limited time, through July 23.

Edith Williams, founder of the Facebook group Idaho for Nonlethal Canine Encounter Training, organized the fundraiser. She’s hoping to raise about $1,200 toward the estimated $3,950 cost of the fall training. The proceeds will go to the Meridian Police Department, which is hosting the training.

Purchase a T-shirt online at Booster, under the fundraising campaign name “Law Enforcement Training - Canine Encounters.”

“I hope Treasure Valley folks and residents of Meridian will purchase it to show support and pride in their Treasure Valley and especially Meridian police departments,” Williams said. She’s hoping dog lovers also will show support.

If you want to donate but don’t want a T-shirt, there’s a GoFundMe account called “Meridian PD Canine Encounters Class.” Over the past month, 11 people have donated $595.

Williams said she did a ridealong with Gomez last week.

“He is a true inspiration,” she said. “Meridian is very fortunate to have him serving the city and their kids as an S.R.O.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "T-shirts inspired by Meridian officer’s skillful dog handling."