Apr 10, 2017 2 min read

Bethel Park’s police dog Jeez will have a bulletproof and stab protective vest after the township police department received a donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

Jeez’s vest was sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by the Alpha Delta Fraternity of Pittsburgh and will be embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of K9 Aren from the men of Alpha Delta.”

That insignia pays tribute to Aren, a Port Authority police dog stabbed to death Jan. 31, 2016 in Wilkinsburg.

The donation provides one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. The vest will be delivered within 10 weeks.

Jeez is a Belgian Malinois from Holland who patrols with his partner, Bethel Park police Officer Carey Ellwanger.

Vested Interest in K9s is a charity located in East Taunton, Mass., that provides vests and other assistance to dogs in 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.

The charity has provided more than 2,400 protective vests across the country through private and corporate donations, spending more than $1.9 million. 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 police dog graduates, as well as police dogs with expired vests, are eligible in the program.

There are an estimated 30,000 dogs in some form of law enforcement throughout the country. For more information about Vested Interest in K9s, go online to www.vik9s.org.