Over a dozen police K-9’s are killed each year. Most were shot or stabbed by the suspects they were attempting to apprehend. K-9 police dogs are an important and necessary part of crime prevention. They deserve bullet proof & stab proof vests. Sadly, many law enforcement agencies and police departments do not have the funds to purchase body armor that can save the lives of their police dogs. The cost of each vest is around $850 to $1000 depending on which vest best suits each dog.  In July Mounds donated $0.50 per 35 lb. bag of Mounds Dog Power sold to help purchase safety vests for local police K-9’s. Thanks to you we were able to raise enough funds to vest two local police K-9’s.

In January of 2009 Deputy Biwer selected his current partner Utrix from Ot Vitosha Kennels in Plant City, Florida. Utrix was 12-months old when selected and trained for four weeks by Deputy Biwer before passing his certification through the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA). Utrix is Belgium Malinois trained as a dual purpose patrol and narcotics detection canine. Together Deputy Biwer and Utrix will perform narcotic sniffs, tracking, building/area search, criminal apprehension and handler protection.

 

K-9 Odijn was imported from the Netherlands in April of this year. Deputy Lindner and his wife traveled to Holland and Belgian to look for a replacement K-9 after the retirement of Deputy Lindner’s current K-9 Dani.  Odijn was originally selected by British Special Forces for service in England when Deputy Lindner located, tested, and ultimately selected K-9 Odijn for work in the United States. K-9 Odijn is trained to detect the odor of explosives. Odijn is currently trained to detect over 19 different explosives odors.

 

The vests for the new K-9’s will be provided by Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog. Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog was started in 2005 and is a non-profit, tax deductible organization endorsed by the Wisconsin Veterinary Association. Every donation is used for the purchase and shipping of vests and other protective equipment. The goal of the VEST-A-DOG program is to provide a bullet proof and stab proof vest for every police dog in Wisconsin. All vests are bulletproof and stab proof. In the past 10 years, bullet, stab or blunt trauma injuries caused 60% of police dog deaths. The manufacturer’s warranty for the vests varies but is usually 5 years.   

For more information on how you can help vest a local police K-9 go to the Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog program website www.wivestadog.org.