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Audubon County Sheriff’s Office K9 Axel to get body armor

News

January 4th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports their K9 “Axel” will receive a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Axel’s vest is sponsored by Laura and Joe Libby of Kent, WA and will be embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

K-9 Axel is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois, who was purchased in November of 2015 from Code2K9 in Omaha.

K9 Axel (from the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page)

Axel and his handler, Deputy Nathan Tibbets, certified in narcotics in December of 2015 and later certified in tracking and evidence recovery in early 2016. Axel and Deputy Tibbets will also soon be certified in handler protection. Axel and Deputy Tibbets have spent hundreds of hours training and have had several narcotic finds.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department thanks Laura and Joe Libby for their generous donation and Vested Interest in K9s for providing the vest. The vest will be a great way to protect Axel when he is out working with the public.

About Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.:

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 2,200 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.9 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 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 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.