(Cleveland)- White County Sheriff’s Office K9 Officer Bella will soon receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. Bella’s vest is sponsored by Michelle Melotti of Severn, MD and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.
Vested Interest in K9s, is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA. Its mission is to provide protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States.
The non- profit was established in 2009. Since then, the group has provided $5.7 million worth of vests to over 3,200 K9s in 50 states through private and corporate donations.
The program is open to dogs who are at least 20 months old and actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.
It costs $950 to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9.
To learn more visit www.vik9s.org.
