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K9 Nexus with the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office has been named as one of the top dogs in his tier in the recent national AfterMath K9 Grant competition.

There were more than 800 entries from across the country and Nexus was the only winner from the State of Tennessee.

Sheriff Chad Mullins said he is thankful and somewhat overwhelmed by the show of support Nexus received from the community.

“This was the first time Nexus has been entered into a grant competition and we didn’t know what to expect since community votes are what determined the outcome,” Mullins said. “News of the competition was carried by our local media and reminders were shared daily on our [HCSO] Facebook page throughout the competition. With the help of the community it exploded across social media and resulted in a placement for Nexus.”

Nexus placed third in the Aftermath Grant competition which means a check for $500 will be presented to the HCSO to be used for his maintenance. Additionally, Nexus will be featured on the national Aftermath K9 calendar.

“On behalf of Nexus and Deputy David Barker, I want to thank everyone for all the support shown to Nexus. Our job is to support this community and in this case, the roles were reversed and the community supported us. For that we are grateful,” Mullins added.