Grant Provides Middletown Police K9 Luca With Body Armor

MIDDLETOWN, RI—The Middletown Police Department is on the receiving end of a charitable donation from an organization dedicated to providing bullet and stab protective vets to law enforcement dogs across the United States.

East Taunton-MA based Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., is providing a vest that will be worn by K9 Luca, a dog donated to the department by Matt Betts of K9 Instincts/International K9 Exchange in Portsmouth. Luca and his handler, Officer David Guerriero, underwent training through the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Unit and have been certified in narcotics detection and tracking.

A full press release from Vested Interest in K9s is below:

Middletown Police Department's K9 Luca will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Luca's vest is sponsored by the Petco Foundation and will be embroidered with the sentiment "In memory of Paul Jolly, The Petco Foundation". Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

K9 Luca was donated to the department by Matt Betts of K9 Instincts/International K9 Exchange in Portsmouth. Luca and his handler, Officer David Guerriero received their training through the Rhode Island Department of Corrections K9 Unit, under the direction of Commander Steven Hauser. In October of 2015 the two were certified in Narcotics Detection and Tracking through the North American Police Work Dogs Association. Chief Anthony M. Pesare and the department would like to extend its gratitude to both organizations for the donation of this invaluable piece of equipment.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA 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 K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 1,700 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.6 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

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 K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The Petco Foundation recently awarded Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., a $5,000 grant as part of its annual Helping Heroes fundraising campaign, in partnership with Natural Balance Pet Foods. During the campaign each October, customers are invited to donate in Petco stores across the country to support service and therapy animals and organizations.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There are 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.