GoFundMe Will Outfit Malden K9 With Protective Vest

MALDEN, MA — A Malden K9 officer will be the first dog outfitted through a fundraising campaign to give protective vests to police dogs. Mattis is a 2-year-old male German Shepherd who graduated from the Rhode Island K9 Academy with his partner, Officer Michael Polston, in 2018.

The GoFundMe campaign, "Cathy's Vests For K9's," was started by Peabody Veterans Memorial High School teacher Greg Shindler Jr. and his sister Karen Costello in memory of their late mother, Cathy.

"As our family discussed possible ways in which we could honor her memory we decided to focus on two causes that were dear to her heart, the Police, and animals," Shindler wrote on the fundraising page. "Our Mom would regularly approach Police Officers on the street, in stores, and anywhere she encountered them, thank them for their service and present them with a medallion of the Police Officers Prayer."

The fundraiser recently surpassed its $5,000 goal and now has a goal of $7,500. As of Friday it is able to fund vests for five K9 officers, according to Shindler.

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