Hershey is pictured with K-9 handler Andrew Ashely Photo by Greg Caron.

A community effort dedicated to preserving the St. Lawrence County K-9 unit is quickly gaining steam.

A Facebook page called “Save Hershey” was created Monday and already has more than 2,000 likes. The page also links to a petition aimed at keeping the police dog unit active, which organizers are reporting has already received more than 260 signatures.

The effort kicked off just hours after a WWNY-tv news story reported K-9 unit has been suspended indefinitely.

According to the report the decision stemmed from a lack of manpower and rising expenses.

The Facebook page ‘Save Hershey’ refers to one of the police dogs, who will be cut from the road patrols.

The page has been swirling with comments calling on the county to preserve the unit.

“St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Department has decided to suspend the K-9 Unit. Hershey has been on countless cases, and helped keep our community safe. He's worked with Deputy Andrew Ashley for several years, and has had extensive training,” a post from the organizers says. “Hershey loves his job, and is extremely talented at it. He wears a bulletproof vest, works 12-hour shifts, and is excited about the work he does. The program being abruptly suspended has left him without the job he was trained for, and no recognition for the years of work that he has successfully completed. He's seized thousands of dollars in drugs, looked for missing people, and hundreds of other accomplishments. He's a bright spot in our small community and we cannot afford to lose him.”

Visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/savehershey

The page also links to a petition that can be found at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/reinstate-the-st-lawrence-county-k-9-unit?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend