K9 Officer Bear to receive protective vest from Massachusetts‐based org
Cedartown Police Department’s K9 Bear will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
K9 Bear’s vest is sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by Christy Brewer of Alpharetta and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In loving memory of Sydnee”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.
Bear is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois. He is certified in patrol, narcotics and tracking work and is assigned to Sgt. Jonathan Zuker.
Sgt. Zuker has been a handler with the Cedartown Police K9 Unit since 2001. K9 Bear was purchased from K-9 Concepts Inc., located in Broussard, La. He became a member of the Cedartown Police Department in October 2015. He began his formal police training in September 2015 and has completed over 350 hours of training. K9 Bear enjoys playing ball, chewing on his toy Kong, interacting
with retired K9 Kai and training days. He has a strong dislike for suspects who are intent on assault, escape, or evasion.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (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 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 over 2,000 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.7 million dollars. 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 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 are 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, Mass. 02718.