Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office K9 Pusinka will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Pusinka’s vest will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Jethro, Canton, OH Police Department”. 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 2,400 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. 

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. 

K9 Pusinka is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois that comes straight from the Czech Republic to Worldwide K9 in San Antonio, Texas in early 2016. Pusinka teamed up with her handler Chris Campbell in October 2016 when they underwent basic obedience, narcotics search operations, K9 first aid, and K9 maintenance. Pusinka is currently trained in marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Her favorite hobbies are doing doughnuts in her kennel, playing with her handler in a warm game of fetch, and watching people out the window.