Monday, March 2, 2020

Bullet and Stab Protective Vest Donated to Local K9 Rescue Squad

On Saturday, February 29th, 2020, a special event was held to give special life saving equipment to a Rescue Squad that responds to area emergencies.


Central Region 49's SAR K9, Charlotte received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

Central Region 49 Rescue is an ALL volunteer Search & Rescue Squad that provides emergency SAR operations for Lost and missing persons.
Charlotte and her owner Jennifer Lettich-Snyder have responded to local emergencies including a search and rescue in Butler Township, as well as a search and rescue Ashland more recently.

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 3,500 U.S. made, custom fitted, NIJ certified protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $6.9 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.

You can follow and learn more about Charlotte at

Photos and Information provided by a press release through Don Scicchitano.