Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office K9’s Karl, Ryker, Bach, Hero, Osa, & Bull have received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9’s Karl, Ryker, Bach, Hero, & Osa’s vests are sponsored by an Anonymous Donors and K9 Bull’s vest is sponsored by Petra Keller of Washoe Valley, NV. K9 Karl’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of Johanne L. Walker”. K9 Ryker, Bach, Hero, & Osa’s vests will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department”. K9 Bull’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In honor of Sadie Keller”.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 2,600 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 2.1 million dollars.
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 $950.00. Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283, and a five-year warranty and an average weight of 4-5 lbs.
