Bullet proof vests for police dogs.

[Albea]

Hi, I thought you would enjoy reading this article. It appeared in the Hartford Courant with Karen Guzman by-line:
"NEW BRITAIN- When she heard that a New Jersey police dog was shot to death in the line of duty, Amanda S.vowed no canine cop in her hometown would ever suffer such a fate.
Amanda,9,immediately got to work raising money to buy a protective vest for one of New Britain's three police dogs.
Amanda is focused on Rookie, a 6 1/2-year-old partner of Officer Joseph Petro. If she can raise $650, Rookie will get a protective vest.If she can raise an additional $1,300, Rookie's two fellow canines will get them,too.
"I don't want anything to happen to Rookie because there's not a lot of dogs that are able to become police dogs," said Amanda, a fourth-grader who hopes one day to become a veterinarian.
Amanda has turned to the California-based,nonprofit Vest-a-Dog program for help. The program provides matching funds for canine vests.
Now Amanda's collection cans are popping up in area stores, government buildings and schools, and it seems a good dog story is hard to resist."
The Chief of Police of New Britain has already gotten several cheks for the Rookie Fund.
The officer and Rookie teamed up in 1996, and police have found the four-legged partner is worth his doggie treats. Once he found a murder suspect hiding up in an apple tree!
Wouldn't this be a great idea for a fun project that other kids could initiate in towns all over the country?

[tatsxxx11]

Last year we here on Cape Cod had a big fundraiser to assure that our K-9 "officers" would be outfitted with bullet proof vests in a similar "matching funds" program. Everyone gave generously, and we all feel better knowing that our courageous canine units are more adequately protected as their perform their heroic service!! Thanks for sharing your story. As a native New Jerseyian, I was familiar with the story you posted!

[This message has been edited by tatsxxx11 (edited April 20, 2001).]

[shais_mom]

Did anyone hear a couple weeks ago, about the K-9 that was I think stabbed in the line of duty and the officer took him to the human hospital and they went right to work saving him and he is doing fine? I think the drs and staff should be commended, he is an officer that was injured in the line of duty. I just hope that if anything ever happened to our local K-9 my co-workers at the hospital would do the same.