Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office K9 Timon has received donation of body armor

Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office K9 Timon has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. The vest was embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Ty, California City Police Department”.

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 3,000 protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $5.7 million dollars.

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 $950.00. Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283, 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.

K-9 Timon is two and half years old, he loves to play with his ball. One of his favorite things to do is to track and chase. K-9 Timon and Deputy Wallace graduated from Little Rock K-9 Academy in November of 2017. K-9 Timon is highly skilled in tracking, illegal narcotic detection, and violent criminal apprehension. Sheriff Tim Ryals wants to thank Vested Interest in K-9's Inc, for supplying yet another layer of protection for the investment that the department made in purchasing our K-9 Deputy. There have been several reports over the years of injuries inflicted on K-9's in other departments. With the added protection of this vest, our K-9 will be better able to protect the Deputies, as well as the citizens of Faulkner County.