The Americus Police Department‘s K9 unit received a protective vest for their dog, according to the Albany Herald.
The Americus Police Department’s newly organized K-9 unit received a bullet and stab protective vest for its K-9 officer “Von” from the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s Inc. of East Taunton, Mass., recently.
APD Chief Mark Scott said he was alerted to the organization when the department’s K-9 unit was formed.
“I was sent a link to the organization (Vested Interest), so I reached out to them,” Scott said. “We filled out an application, told them we were just starting our unit and didn’t have funding for body armor, and they contacted us and told us we’d been selected to receive one of the vests.”
Vested Interest is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to law enforcement dogs and animals with other agencies throughout the United States. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist agencies with procuring the potentially life-saving equipment.
Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s has provided more than 3,400 protective vests in all 50 states through private and corporate donations. Value of the equipment is $5.7 million.
A local pharmacist donated Narcan for police dogs, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Ben Ross, who owns Forest Heights Pharmacy, donated 10 Narcan kits to the Georgia Police K9 Foundation after Statesboro police Officer and K9 handler Brice Scott asked about purchasing some of the life-saving kits.
“Some local K9s with the Statesboro Police Department and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office (will have expired Narcan kits) replaced because of this extreme generosity,” said Statesboro police Cpl. Kyle Briley, who started the Georgia Police K9 Foundation. “Our newest (Statesboro police) K9 member, Smokey, will also get a Narcan kit. The other kits will go to K9s in need throughout the state, to include Perry Police Department.”
While Briley is not aware of any recent encounters by local police or drug dogs, an online CBS report refers to a 2016 incident in which “three police dogs in Florida were rushed to an animal hospital … when they ingested fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that is often mixed with street heroin but 50 times more potent.”
Ross donated the 10 Narcan kits after learning the police K9s need the protection.
“I never thought about dogs needing Narcan,” he told the Statesboro Herald. “This is something we wanted to supply. We feel very strongly about this life-saving medication.”
The Humane Society of Northwest Georgia in Dalton is holding a lock-in fundraiser, according to AccessWDUN.
[E]ach year at HSNEGA, volunteers agree to sit in the kennels to raise money towards the rescue pets and their adoptions.
“We couldn’t do what we do here at the Humane Society without our supporters,” said Julie Edwards, executive director for the humane society. “Our vet services pay for themselves with the fees, but our adoption and rescue program does not pay for itself with our adoption fees. We bring out $150-160,000 on adoptions and we probably spend three to four times that rescuing our animals. So this money all goes towards rescue efforts.”
At the time of publication, the humane society had raised just shy of $38,000 towards their goal of $80,000, essentially helping 151 rescues. Development Director Sam Threadgill said if they make their goal, they will slash the fees to adopt dogs in the large dog kennels to zero until the end of August.
