On Sept. 22, the Belgian Malinois was fitted by Jill Cutter for the $2,500 vest that is breathable and made to order for each dog.
Flash, surrounded by officers in the patrol room, played with a tennis ball as Cutter adjusted the form to his body and trimmed away material to make it fit perfectly. Care was taken to make sure it didn’t rub or wasn’t too tight to allow ease of movement while on the job.
Cutter said Flash was an exception, because he seemed to like the attention. That was not the case for some dogs, Cutter said, adding that many have to be muzzled for their vest fitting.
In about six weeks, the custom-made vest produced by a company in Canada will arrive in Hamilton.
“He’ll wear it,” Johnson said with a smile, noting Flash doesn’t currently have any body armor. Safety is a concern for his canine partner, he said.
“It is another step to keep him safe,” Johnson said. “Hope we never have to use it, but it is nice to know it is there in the event he would need it.”
Spikes K9 Fund was founded by James Hatch, a retired Special Warfare Operator. It is a national non-profit organization that provides police dogs with vests.
“As a K9 handler on several deployments, James’ life was regularly spared by the work of K9s — one of the most memorable was Spike. And on James’ final deployment, the night he was critically wounded, a K9 spared James’ life while losing his own,” according to the organization’s website.
The Ohio volunteers will have a fundriser, Vest Fest, from 4 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22 on the lawn of Moerlein Lager House in Cincinnati.
Cutter, a Mason resident, became involved in fundraising for the organization last October, because it combines her love for dogs, police officers and the military. Police dogs in Cincinnati are now all fitted with vests from the fund, and Cutter said she is moving on to Butler County.
“It makes me feel wonderful,” she said. “These officers send the dogs into the unknown unprotected. The vests make a difference.”
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