Massachusetts State Police K9 Flash Receives Body Armor Donation

Massachusetts State Police K9 Flash recently received a bullet- and stab-protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

K9 Flash’s vest was sponsored by a charity dog wash event hosted by CareOne at Essex Park and embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by CareOne at Essex Park.”

The Massachusetts State Police are extremely grateful to Vested Interest in K9s and CareOne at Essex Park. Our dogs are beloved members of the Massachusetts State Police family, and they make a tremendous contribution to our public safety mission every day. Their safety is of paramount importance to us.

Flash shows off his new vest, courtesy of Vested Interest in K9s and CareOne Essex.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton 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. has provided more than 3,200 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over $5.7 million dollars.

Trooper Steven Culver and Flash ready to respond to their next mission.
The program is open to dogs actively employed in the United States 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 $950. Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283, 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.