Will County Sheriff’s Office K9’s Sem and Roxy have both received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9’s, INC. Sem’s vest is sponsored by an anonymous donor and embroidered with the sentiment, “The gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9’s INC”. Roxy’s vest is sponsored by direct mail donations and will be embroidered with the sentiment, “In memory of K9 Rocco Pittsburgh Bureau of Police”.

Will County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Robert Denny, who is Roxy’s handler, stated, “We appreciate the added level of protection the vests give Roxy and Sem. They are often the first ones to encounter an individual and if they were to try to injure the dogs they now have a better chance of not sustaining life threatening injuries. I am grateful that an organization exists and so diligently works at protecting our K9 partners.”

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 2,100 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.9 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley stated, “We are very grateful for this generous donation in protecting the safety of our K9’s.  Since Roxy and Sem have joined our department in June of 2015, they has proven invaluable in our continued fight to take drugs off our streets.”     

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 $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 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.     

*PHOTOS ATTACHED

#1 PHOTO - Roxy     #2 PHOTO - Sem