Girl holds fundraiser for K-9 safety

CA: Girl sets fundraiser for K-9 safety
South City police dogs may get ballistic vest after 11-year-old's garage sale
By Christine Morente, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 07/26/2007 02:44:51 AM PDT


SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — Police K-9s at the city's Police Department could get the protection their human counterparts already have, thanks to one sixth-grader.
Morgan Smith of South San Francisco will hold a garage sale and a silent auction to raise at least $1,000 for one canine ballistic vest. The event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday at her home at 29 Idlewood Drive.

"These are city dogs," the 11-year-old said Wednesday. "I want to get (vests) for all of them, but it's pretty hard."

South San Francisco Police Capt. Mike Brosnan said none of the police dogs has a vest now for protection in a shooting situation. A vest could be shared among them, he said.

So far, Morgan has raised $520 and many friends and neighbors have donated household items — enough to fill six tables for this weekend. For the silent auction, there will be gift certificates to various restaurants around San Mateo County.

Morgan got the idea to help the K-9 unit in fifth grade at Ponderosa Elementary School when she read about another 11-year-old girl who saved her pennies to buy a bulletproof vest for a police dog. She's been wanting to do the garage sale and auction since last August. This fall, she'll go to Westborough Middle School.

"Morgan is a special child, just by her community-rooted thought process already," Brosnan said. "That's very nice to see. I'm hoping to be around 20 years from now to see what she can do at age 31. I think she'll be doing some great things." Ballistic vests for a police dog typically weigh around 3 to 5 pounds and cost roughly $1,000 each. Most cities don't typically buy such vests because they can add weight to the dog's hips and legs, which potentially shortens the animal's working career, Brosnan said. But a vest would give the dog and the police officer the ability to train for any type of dangerous scenario, he said.
Morgan said she hopes to find other ways to provide more vests for the dogs.

"I'm going to try to do as much as I can," she said. "I want to help these dogs. If there's another opportunity, I will take it."


Staff writer Christine Morente covers faith, families and North County. She can be reached at (650) 348-4333 or at cmorente*AT*sanmateocountytimes*DOT*com .

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