New Canaan Police Department’s K9 Apollo to get Body Armor

The New Canaan Police Department announced on their Facebook Page that K9 Apollo will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Apollo’s vest is sponsored by Linda and Wayne Krivsky of Erlanger, KY and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Proudly donated in loving memory of Lt. Stephen Wood”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

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 1,700 protective vests, in 49 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.6 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI. 

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 suggested donation to provide one protective vest for law enforcement K9 is $1,050.00. Each vest has a value between $1,795 – $2,234 and a five-year warranty, and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There are 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. 

K9 Apollo and Officer Rivera have been a team since April of 2015. They completed a rigorous 3 month K9 academy with Superior K9 Services. K9 Apollo has assisted with numerous narcotic arrests. He has also assisted in numerous search and rescue call outs. K9 Apollo has exceeded all expectations! K9 Apollo and Officer Rivera would like to thank Wayne and Linda Krivsky for donating all the funds necessary to purchase K9 Apollos protective vest. Wayne was a New Canaan resident who currently lives in Kentucky. Wayne graduated from New Canaan High School in 1972. He was on the Varsity Baseball team that went to the State finals at Yale University in 1972. Wayne has three sisters, Wendy, Cindy and Holly.

Follow New Canaan Police Department on Facebook HERE

Image courtesy Facebook: K9 Apollo and Officer Rivera