Cranston Police Department K9s Lex, a Shepinois, which is a cross between a German shepherd and a Belgian Malinois, and Blesk, a purebred Czechoslovakian Shepherd, will receive bullet and stab protective vests thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc.

The vests are sponsored by the Petco Foundation and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of Paul Jolly, The Petco Foundation.” Delivery is expected within eight to 10 weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charity located in East Taunton, Mass., 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 1,700 protective vests in 49 states through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $1.6 million. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, Mich.

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 Petco Foundation recently awarded Vested Interest in K9s Inc. a $5,000 grant as part of its annual Helping Heroes fundraising campaign, in partnership with Natural Balance Pet Foods. During the campaign each October, customers are invited to donate in Petco stores across the country to support service and therapy animals and organizations.

“This comes on the heels of an announcement two weeks ago where the first of our three K9s, K9 Zeus of the Cranston Police K9 Unit, received notice of his donated vest. This relationship and level of collaboration with Vested interest has helped us provide essential safety to our K9 unit, which will last for years and include us as one of the premier K9 units in the state. We reiterate that K9 safety and protection is critical to our agency given the precarious and hazardous situations these dogs are deployed. This donation completes the outfitting of all three K9s with the latest technology in K9 safety and we express our thanks to Vested interest and PETCO for the generous contributions, saving the department thousands of crucial dollars,” said Maj. Todd Patalano, chief of administrative services.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050. Each vest has a value between $1,795 to $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of four to five pounds. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.

For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.

(Photos courtesy of Cranston Police Department)