Jango, the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office police dog, has been awarded a bullet- and stab-protective vest, thanks to Vested Interest in K9s, a nonprofit organization.
The charity, located in East Taunton, Mass., provides the vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The local sheriff's office has four dogs; two of them received vests in November.
Each vest costs $950, and carries a 5-year warranty. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with the potentially lifesaving body armor for their four police dogs. Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s Inc., has provided protective vests to more than 1,400 law enforcement dogs in 49 states since 2009 at a cost of more than $1.3 million.
The organization orders the vests exclusively from distributor Regency Police Supply in Hyannis, Mass., which also does the custom embroidery on the body armor. Vests are manufactured by Armor Express in Central Lake, Mich.
New police dogs, as well as those with expired vests, are eligible to participate. The program is open to law enforcement dogs who are U.S. employed, certified and at least 19 months of age.
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For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Tax deductible donations are accepted via mail to: Vested Interest in K9s Inc., P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, Mass., 02718 or the website: www.vik9s.org.
