SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department’s Canine Unit will receive six custom-fit bullet-proof vests and Cover Your K-9 Stat Packs that have been donated by the Cover Your K-9 Program of the Police and Working K-9 Foundation.
The event was held on Wednesday, July 9 at 10:00 a.m. on Treasure Island near the barbeque area on the corner of Avenue of the Palms and Third Streets. During the event, SFPD dog units will be on hand to model the donated vests and packs for the public to view.
The Police and Working K-9 Foundation is a non-profit corporation that is working with California law enforcement to protect K-9 teams with all the essentials in case of an emergency. The program is serving a model for all K-9 care throughout the country. The goal is to provide custom-made K-9 bullet-proof vests, heat alarms for patrol cars and worked with veterinary specialists to design and K-9 Emergency Medical Course and custom K-9 Trauma Kit.
The Cover Your K-9 “Stat Pack” is about the size of a wallet and has specialized hemostatic pads to halt bleeding and provides other emergency supplies for a K-9 handler to have on his/her belt at all times.
“The biggest threat to a K-9 that has been shot or injured in the field is bleeding to death, this K-9 Stat Pack is the first line of defense for a K-9 handler to save his partner,” said Officer Alex Jose, Chairman of the Police and Working K-9 Foundation.
The packs cost $75 and the funds for the “K-9 Stat Packs” are thanks to donations from Oakland based Pet Food Express and the community from the 2013 Cover Your K-9 fundraiser.
Pet Food Express will be hosting the 2014 “Cover Your K-9” fundraiser on July 12 & 13th to raise additional funds to provide every K-9 team in the Bay Area with the emergency “Cover Your K-9 Stat Packs.”
By LaDale Anderson
