Clinton Police K-9 Sonny Receives Body Armor

CLINTON, CT — The Clinton Police Department’s K-9 Sonny received his bullet and stab protective vest Thursday thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., police announced in a press release. K-9 Sonny’s vest is sponsored by The Blackwell Family of Southington and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of FF Chris Blackwell FDNY R3 9-11-01.”

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, Mass., whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K-9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided more than 2,700 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $2.3 million.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age. New K-9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate. Read more from the press release below:

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950.00. Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination at www.vik9s.org or mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.

The Clinton Police Department would like to publicly thank the Blackwell family for their generous contribution and Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., for making this possible and for keeping K-9 Sonny safe!!

Photo via the Clinton Police Department