King 528 K9s

King 528 K9s is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to honor the life and legacy of Chandler Police Officer Christopher Farrar, a dedicated K-9 handler who gave his life in the line of duty.

Continuing his legacy of service, King 528 K9s provides highly trained service and therapy dogs to veterans, first responders, individuals with disabilities, and organizations in need.

The organization was founded by United States Air Force veteran and retired police officer Tom Haubold. After sustaining a traumatic brain injury in the line of duty, Tom was paired with his service dog, Haley. Her training, companionship, and support helped him regain independence, confidence, and stability. Inspired by this life-changing experience, Tom felt called to help others facing similar challenges while also honoring the memory of his close friend, Chris Farrar.

Tom partnered with the Farrar family to establish King 528 K9s, proudly carrying Chris’s call sign, King 528. Chris’s mother, Linda Farrar, serves on the board, helping ensure his spirit of service, compassion, and commitment to others remains at the heart of everything the organization does.

Although King 528 K9s is a young organization, its mission is already changing lives. Through the generosity of supporters, we were able to provide our first service dog, Winston, to Ronda, the mother of a sheriff’s deputy. After an injury led to a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Ronda faced significant mobility challenges, chronic pain, and limitations in her daily life. Winston provides mobility assistance, companionship, and emotional support, helping restore independence, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose.

The need for our mission continues to grow. We currently have a veteran living with PTSD and the daughter of a firefighter with medical support needs awaiting funding for their service dogs. We have also recently received another inquiry from a veteran beginning the application process. These individuals represent just a few of the people seeking the life-changing support a service dog can provide, and our goal is to ensure they receive that support as quickly as possible.

Today, King 528 K9s is working to expand that impact. One of our primary goals is building a reserve fund that allows us to begin training and placing dogs as soon as a need is identified. Currently, recipients often must wait while funding is raised for their dog and training. By increasing our available resources, we can reduce those delays and help veterans, first responders, and individuals with disabilities, receive the support they need when they need it most.

Your donation does more than fund a service dog. It helps provide independence, confidence, safety, companionship, and hope to someone facing daily challenges. Most importantly, it helps ensure that individuals currently waiting for a service dog can be matched with and begin training with their dog sooner, reducing delays and changing lives when every day matters.

Together, we can continue Chris Farrar’s legacy of service and make a lasting difference—one life, one service dog, and one journey at a time.