NYPD Transit Bureau Officers with their K-9 partners.

Credit:

Margaret Foxmoore

The AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City is now featuring an exhibit titled “The Dogs That Serve” through May 5, 2024.

 “The Dogs That Serve” tells the story of the NYPD Transit Bureau K9 Unit through the lens of photographer Margaret Foxmoore. The exhibit includes articles written by the unit's founding officers and those who currently serve, and explores moments with the officers and their K9 partners as they aim to keep New York City and the nation safer.

“It is a great honor to pay tribute to our canine companions who serve and protect us through Margaret's tireless work in capturing images of the dogs and their handlers,” said Alan Fausel, curator for the AKC Museum of the Dog.

“Each of Foxmoore’s spectacular images captures the beauty, nuance and power of a unique human-canine bond,” said Christopher Bromson, the Museum’s executive director. “It is a privilege to display them here at the AKC Museum of the Dog, the only institution dedicated to celebrating that bond through its art and programs. We are grateful to those, canine and human alike, who keep our city and state safe.”

“The Dogs That Serve aims to honor Ret. Lieutenant Commanding Officer John Pappas, who retired this past fall after 27 years in the NYPD. He developed the Transit K9 Unit in 2005 and it has grown into the largest K9 team in the NYPD as well as the largest mass transit specific K9 unit in the Western Hemisphere. His K9, Palla, the highest-ranking dog in the history of the agency, will have her harness on display during the exhibition.

“I sincerely hope that the exhibit may inspire coming generations to be K9 handlers, and to work together with their dogs to achieve great things,” said Pappas. “The bond between a pet and its family is strong, but the bond between a police K9 handler and his canine partner, is one of the strongest bonds between human and animal in existence. My partner and I will forever be inseparable.”

Margaret Foxmoore is a self-taught artist who has been photographing the NYPD Transit Bureau K9 Unit for six years and is the founder and creative director for “Dogs Outside The Ring.” Her photo book of the same name is in the Library of Congress. She has photographed dogs at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Crufts, the National Dog Show, the AKC National Championship Dog Show, and more. Her goal is not to document the posed, champion show dog shot, but rather to capture the relationships between dog and handler, intimate moments in the grooming areas, and the stories that blossom in more candid moments. Her motto: aim with love to capture joy.

“My objective with this collection of photos is to bring to light the heroism that these officers and their K9s put on display every day in this city and beyond and to humanize those behind the badge,” said Foxmoore. “This exhibit is truly not about me; it’s about them.”

For more information on the exhibit or the AKC Museum of the Dog, please visit www.museumofthedog.org .