Shane Menz has spent more than two-thirds of his young life as a Boy Scout. His parents have supported him every step of the way. Now they are beaming with pride as he attains the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. It’s been a 12-year journey for Menz that culminated with 21 merit badges and a service project that will benefit the Texas Game Warden K-9 Team.
“I’ve always had an interest in training dogs because my dad is a police officer and works with K-9s,” said Menz. “I have grown up around police working dogs my entire life. About the time I was thinking about what I would do for my service project I met Texas Game Warden Scott Kirkpatrick and his K-9 Partner, Ray.”
Menz is fascinated by how the K-9s are trained to detect different odors, from rescuing people in search and rescue missions to sniffing out narcotics. Kirkpatrick explained how scent boxes are used in training the dogs for game warden work, and that there weren’t enough of the boxes available for all of the Texas Game Warden K-9s stationed around the state. Menz decided that would be the perfect Eagle Scout service project.
“I saw that scent boxes could assist them in training their K-9 partners in the detection disciplines,” said Menz. “I was very impressed with how the boxes were used and decided that this project would have the most impact now and in the future for training detection dogs.”
The project required purchasing building materials, including plywood and PVC pipe. Prospective Eagle Scouts are required to raise the funds necessary for their projects, but COVID 19 shut down traditional fundraising events. Menz’s parents helped him set up a GoFundMe effort online.
As it turned out, Home Depot ended up donating most of the supplies, so they ended up with a fundraising surplus of close to $700. Menz decided to donate those funds to Gear Up for Game Wardens, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) program that raises funds for specialty equipment for Texas Game Wardens.
“We were thrilled to hear about this donation, and we’re earmarking the funds to benefit the K-9 Assistance Fund,” said Austin Taylor, who manages the Gear Up for Game Wardens program for TPWF. “The K-9 Assistance Fund provides the resources to replace retiring K-9s on a schedule that will allow for continuity within the K-9 Unit.”
Menz and his parents met Kirkpatrick recently to hand off the 15 scent boxes, which will be distributed to K-9 Teams across Texas.
“We’re all proud of Shane for the work he put into this project,” said Kirkpatrick. “I did a little research about Eagle Scouts and learned that only four percent of those who enter scouting achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. It’s a big deal, and somebody who has that kind of drive is going to succeed in life.”
Shane Menz already has his sights set on his next goal. He plans on earning a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M so that he can become a Texas Game Warden.
“That’s what I want to do with my life,” said Menz. “Maybe one day I will be able to use these scent boxes to help train my own K-9 partner as a Texas Game Warden.”
The fundraising goal for the K-9 Assistance Fund is $74,000 and with Shane’s recent donation and others, the total amount raised so far totals $73,219.
Make a Gear Up for Game Wardens donation today, and help push us over the top!
