Release from the Pine County Sheriff's Office:
Pine County Sheriff’s Office K9’s Chewy & Chaos will receive bullet and stab protective vests thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Chewy’s vest is sponsored by Robin Ballina of Shakopee, MN and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Honoring those who served and sacrificed”. K9 Chaos’ vest is sponsored by Jessica Holgate of Shakopee, MN and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Honoring those who served and sacrificed”.
Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.
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 3,000 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 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. There is an estimated 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.
The Pine County Sheriff's Office is humbled by the generous donations of vests for our K-9s "Chewy" and "Chaos." It is not without public support that our program would be where it is today. Watch for a future press release of both dogs with their vests. Thank you to Vested Interest in K9's and their generous donors. K-9 Chewy and his handler Deputy Neel, K-9 Chaos and his handler Deputy Borchardt as well as Sheriff Jeff Nelson extend their thanks for this life saving gift.