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Sheriff’s Dept. K9 receives donated protective vest

Grand County Sheriff's Office K9 Milo sits in front of his handler, Deputy DJ Elthorp.
Courtesy photo

Grand County Sheriff’s K9 Milo will soon have some added protection on the job thanks to the charitable donation of a new bullet and stab protective vest from nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s, according to department officials.

A press release issued by the department earlier this week explains the donation comes from Vested Interest in K9s through the Amazon Smile donor percentage purchases program. Department officials expect delivery of the K9 vest within eight to 10 weeks.

The East Tauton, Mass.-Based charity organization Vested Interest in K9s works to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other forms of assistance to law enforcement dogs and other related agencies throughout the US.



“The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers,” the press release stated. “Since its inception Vested Interest in K9s provided 2,900 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 million dollars.”

Department officials stated the program is open to dogs “actively employed in the US with law enforcement or related agencies”. Dogs must be certified and at least 20 months of age to receive a donated vest. Additionally, new K9 graduates and K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate in the program.



The value of the donated vest is estimated between $1,744 and $2,283. A donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is tallied at $950. The vests themselves come with a five-year warranty and weigh roughly four to five pounds each.

“There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States,” according to the press release.

Vested Interest in K9s has volunteer opportunities for interested citizens and also accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination. You can find out more about Vested Interest in K9s by calling (508) 824-6978 or by going to their website at http://www.vik9s.org.


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