DOGGIE ARMOUR
A Delta firm says its Kevlar jackets for pooches will protect pets from perishing in the jaws and claws of predators
A new Delta firm says its Kevlar jackets for pooches will protect pets from perishing in the jaws and claws of predators.
K9 Guard was launched by Allison Arnould, Sara Leibl and Alexandra Blumberg in September 2014 and incorporated last July. Leibl came up with the concept after she saw a dog attack and kill another dog on the street outside her mom’s home.
That experience and similar stories — such as the Surrey cocker spanielpoodle cross almost killed in April by a dog that jumped from a car window — inspired a lightweight, waterproof jacket designed to shield a dog’s body and neck from bites and scratches.
The trio has been involved in animal rescue for five years and started nonprofit CAARE two years ago, which is where K9 Guard was developed.
K9 Guard made several prototypes before settling on a jacket made with polyester, a waterproof membrane and a trio of removable Kevlar inserts, which protect the dog’s body and neck while shielding its carotid and jugular arteries.
A summer version of the jacket is lined with mesh, while a winter version has fleece.
Leibl said the jacket lets owners “protect their dogs in a proactive way,” rather than counting on others to keep their pets under control.
Kevlar jackets for dogs have long been used in military and police applications. Most are designed to protect dogs from gunfire, but the K9 Guard is meant for scratches and bites. During testing, its Kevlar inserts withstood stabbing from knives, screwdrivers and other sharp objects that could cause bite-like damage, Leibl said.
But it wasn’t just dog bites that the trio had in mind when developing K9 Guard. Bears, coyotes, cougars — even hawks — have all recently been reported attacking dogs. In B.C., conservation officers in Prince Rupert recently euthanized a wolf that killed a dog in a family’s backyard. Last month, owners of a young German shepherd watched in horror as a cougar dragged it away on Vancouver Island.
U.S. firm CoyoteVest has developed a jacket similar to the K9 Guard, but with a spiked collar and the option to add additional metal spikes, nylon bristles and a shock module to zap attackers. But Leibl and Arnould were emphatic they don’t want their product to harm other animals.
“The dogs can play at the dog park wearing this jacket and it doesn’t cause other dogs to have a negative reaction to them,” Leibl said. “It basically looks like a normal dog jacket, but has a protective mechanism to it.”
Arnould said they wanted the K9 Guard to be lightweight and flexible, more comfortable than the Kevlar jackets used by police and military K9 units.
Currently, the jackets are sold online and at trade shows, but K9 Guard hopes it will soon be in pet stores, too. The jackets are made in Richmond and cost $120 to $130, depending on the dog’s size.
“It’s for the dogs, but it’s also for piece of mind for the owners,” Arnould said. “It’s such a traumatic experience to have your dog injured — for both the dog and for the owners — and it can cause aggression in dogs later on if they’re attacked.”
Asked about concerns, Vancouver Humane Society spokesman Peter Fricker said of the K9 Guard: “It seems it would afford the dog some protection.”
But he said the jacket must meet the firm’s claims that it’s lightweight, comfortable and won’t cause a dog to overheat.
“We don’t have any problem with it, but we would make the point that if people are concerned that their dog is getting into fights or has aggression problems, that obviously the first thing to do is deal with behaviour,” Fricker said.
Dr. Brendan Matthews, president of the College of Veterinarians of B.C., said he’s “cautiously for” the K9 Guard. Matthews said his concern is whether the material causes the dog to overheat. And he said it’s crucial the jacket fits properly, so it can’t be removed in a fight.
Matthews said the worst bite injuries occur in smaller dogs that don’t back down from larger ones and involve the chest, abdomen and neck.