The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department today (on Tuesday) announced they’ve received safety vests for their two jail K9s, Apollo and Thor. NOTE: this story references violence toward animals.
The bullet- and stab-proof vests were donated by the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Vested Interest In K9s Inc. They’ll be embroidered with the words, “BORN TO LOVE, TRAINED TO SERVE, LOYAL ALWAYS.” Delivery is expected within 10 weeks.
Apollo and Thor are two of the over 30,000 police dogs working nationally. Last year, the Officer Down Memorial Page says 23 of those dogs died while in training or on duty. Heatstroke killed the most, accounting for eight deaths, either from officers leaving dogs in patrol cars during hot weather, or dogs dying from heat exhaustion during pursuits.
After the heat-related deaths, seven dogs were shot, five died in crashes, and three were killed in other ways.
In a statement, Sheriff Bill Redman said Apollo and Thor face fewer risks in the jail but edged weapons, or shanks, can be made in any correctional facility. Redman added that officers “certainly take extra precautions with their K9 partners to protect them from heat-related incidents.”
