WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An Indiana State Police K-9 will soon be added to the list of Indiana police dogs that have been offered extra protection through body armor donations from a nonprofit.
K-9 Bo is the latest police dog to receive a bullet and stab-resistant vest donated by Vested Interest in K-9s, Inc. Bo's vest was sponsored by Helen Pavilonis, of Durham, North Carolina. It's expected to arrive in as little as eight weeks.
Vested Interest in K-9s, Inc. has been donating vests to police dogs across the United States since 2009. To date, the organization has given more than 4,500 vests to K-9s in all 50 states.
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Each vest has a value of roughly $2,000 and weighs an average of four to five pounds. Money for the vests comes from both private and corporate donations.
Among those who have received vests from the nonprofit are police dogs in Marion County, Bartholomew County and a handful of ISP police dogs.
In Marion County, vests have been gifted to K-9s Kurt, Quill and Czarny.
Last October Bartholomew County K-9 Szabi received a new, custom-fitted bullet and stab-protective vest from the charity.
The vest is embroidered with the words, "In memory of K9 Diesel EOW 11-14-20."
Diesel was a Bartholomew County police dog that died in 2020 while searching for a domestic violence suspect.
