Radnor Police K9s Getting Bullet, Stab Protection From Non Profit

RADNOR, PA — Two Radnor Township Police K9s will be much safer while on duty thanks to a non-profit group that donates protective vests to dogs in law enforcement.

Radnor Township Police said its K9s Urrsi and Onyx will soon be outfitted with bullet- and stab-protective vests.

The vests are expected to arrive in Radnor in about 10 weeks, according to police.

Urrsi and Onyx are the beneficiaries of a national non-profit group that provides the body armor to K9 units across the country.

Vested Interest in K9s is donating the vests to Urrsi and Onyx.

The vests come from the generosity of the Laprocido of Philadelphia and BIC Corporation of Shelton, Connecticut.

Urrsi's vest will be embroidered with the sentiment "Gifted by Tom and JoAnn Laprocido," while Onyx's vedst will read "Gifted by BIC Corporation," police said.

Vested Interest in K9s has donated to other local police departments, including the Lower Merion and Haverford Police departments.

The group accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $960 will sponsor one vest.

Based in East Taunton, Massachusetts, the group has provided more than 2,600 vests to K9s since it was founded in 2009.

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, Haverford Police said. New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate, according to police.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950.

Each vest has a value between $1,744 to $2,283 and a five-year warranty. They average 4 to 5 pounds in wight.

Roughly 30,000 law enforcement K9s serve communities throughout the United States.

Learn more about or donate to Vested Interest in K9s Inc. at the group's website here or call 508-824-6978.