BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A K9 with the Brunswick Police Department received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from a non-profit organization.
Vested Interest in K9s donated the vest to K9 Rico.
Recommended Videos
It will be embroidered with "in memory of K9 Ike, Vancouver Police Department."
Vested Interest in K9s is a charity located in East Taunton, Massachusetts. Its mission is to provide protective vests and other assistance to dogs in law enforcement agencies around the country.
Since 2009, it's provided more than 2,200 protective vests in 50 states at a cost of $1.9 million.
All vests are custom made by Armor Express in Michigan.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age.
New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.
Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs.
There are approximately 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.
For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.