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FOXBORO - Last fall, when the members of Girl Scout Troop 80971 were thinking about a project to work on, one of the first things that came to mind was the Foxboro Police Department's then-new drug-sniffing dog.

"I wasn't surprised," said troop leader Jane Rice. "For the last few years, every time we'd go somewhere and there was a dog, they'd stop to say 'hi' and give the dog lots of attention."

So the troop contacted Police Chief Edward O'Leary and the dog's handler, officer John Chamberlin, and made plans to raise money for Jada.

The result was the donation of an F2 Heat Alert System and a Drug Overdose Kit for dogs, both of which will protect Jada from danger while working with the K9 unit.

The heat alert is designed to ensure that on hot days the temperature in a cruiser does not rise to harmful levels, which might otherwise happen when the officer is out the vehicle for a while. When the temperature in the cruiser rises above a pre-set level - that might be 85 or 90 degrees - the back windows automatically roll down, a fan starts and the cruiser lights and siren go on.

The device also sends a pager signal to the officer.

Chamberlin said a number of police dogs in the United States have died when left behind in sweltering vehicles while their handler was out making an arrest, writing a report, or otherwise away from the cruiser for too long.

A drug overdose kit can be a lifesaver for the dog, too, in the event she ingests some of the contraband substance.

The kit contains a fluid that can be used to induce vomiting, and medicine that can be injected to stimulate the dog's heart.

The Scouts got the idea for the donations in December, when Chamberlin and Jada came to visit the troop.

Chamberlin talked about the Heat Alert System, and "right away, the girls knew this would be best thing to get Jada," said Rice, who also learned about the Drug Overdose Kit for dogs and mentioned it to her scouts.

The troop raised the $803 to purchase both items by selling Girl Scout cookies, doing neighborhood can/bottle drives and chores.

"When we first met Jada in December, we fell in love with her," Girl Scout Mackenzie Anderson said at the presentation ceremony.

"Officer Chamberlin, thank you for making Jada part of the Foxboro police. It's a huge commitment and because of that, Jada is the best drug-sniffing dog we could ask for. We're very proud of her." Fellow Scout Jessica Rice added, "Not only did we have a great time raising the money, but we learned a lot, too. We learned about commitments, communications and managing money.

"These are skills we will remember in the future," she said.

Jada - part beagle, part Labrador retriever - is turning 2 this month.