Illinois K9 Officer Receives Body Armor Thanks to Kind Donation

Thanks to an unexpected donation from an organization, a K9 officer for the Illinois State Police will be wearing protective body armor as he also protects and serves.

The Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police just shared the good news that non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc has come forward and donated protective body armor to K9 Zeus. The bullet and stab-protective vests are custom-fitted and costly. They're valued at over $1,800 and weigh up to 5 pounds, but provide the K9 officer animals with the protection that may very well save their life.

It's estimated there are over 30,000 dogs serving as K9 officers right now which makes this kind of donation vital to keeping the animals as protected as possible. This group has donated more than 6,225 K9 ballistic vests since they formed back in 2009 plus over $186,621 in K9 medical first aid kits.

If this is a cause you'd like to support, Vested Interest in K9's has lots of ways you can contribute including monetary donations and many other options including their annual K9 officer calendar. I've seen estimates that K9 officers save at least 10 lives every year. When you factor in how many dogs are in service that translates into thousands of lives these brave K9 officers have helped protect. That's why these protective body armor donations are so important. K9 Zeus should have his new protective armor in the next 10 weeks.