Cass County Sheriff’s Office K9 Ryker will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
K9 Ryker’s vest is sponsored by Mark and Joan Lee, of McIntosh, and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always,” a news release stated. Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a nonprofit charity in East Taunton, Massachusetts, 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 nonprofit 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 more than 3,830 U.S. made, custom fitted, National Institute of Justice certified protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations, at a value of $6.9 million.
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.
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The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $960. Each vest has a value between $1,744-$2,283 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 pounds. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.
