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Dozens of K-9 units visit terminally ill Wisconsin girl who loves dogs

Posted at 10:29 PM, Mar 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-11 22:29:08-04

HARTLAND, Wis. – A terminally ill Wisconsin girl who adores dogs got a visit over the weekend from more than 35 K-9 teams from across the state.

Emma Mertens, a 7-year-old who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, has received countless letters of encouragements and photos of pups from all around the world – but this Saturday she got to meet dozens of police dogs in person.

Officers and their furry counterparts were all smiles as they greeted Emma and her family, posing for plenty of photos.

"There are no words....Pure Joy!," reads a post on Team Emma's Facebook page. "Thank you to everyone who took the time to organize and participate in this."

In late January, Mertens was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare brain tumor. A family friend thought it would be nice to raise the spirits of the little animal lover with a letter from her dog. She asked her friends to do the same.

Mertens has received more than 75,000 well wishes from across the world. Team Emma's GoFundMe has raised nearly $125,000.

To share your dog pictures with Emma, send them to:

  1. emmalovesdogs7@gmail.com
  2. Her mailing address is: TeamEmma, PO Box 230, Hartland, WI 53029
  3. Visit Emma's CaringBridge website