Brady Snakovsky, 9, has managed to equip dozens of police dogs across the U.S. to help save them from “bad people”.
In 2017, Brady’s goal was to donate a ballistic vest to one police dog but then he aimed to equip nine dogs with the life-saving armour by his ninth birthday.
However, by November last year (2018), the thoughtful & caring schoolboy had managed to raise enough money to equip more than 50 police dogs across nine separate states.
As of today, young Brady has managed to equip a total of 85 police dogs with the vests.
Each vest costs around $1,700 (£1337) and has to be custom fitted to the dog.
Not only do the vests protect the dogs’ vital organs, but they are lightweight and also help to regulate the dog’s body heat meaning that the dogs can wear them for the entire shift.
The project started when Brady and his mother, Lena Tornabene, were watching a police documentary together.
Brady pointed out that although the officers were wearing ballistic vests, their dogs weren’t.
In the U.S., not all police departments have the required funds to provide their dogs with bulletproof vests, so several charities and ‘non-profits’ have intervened to equip the brave dogs with the life-saving equipment.
After asking Tornabene to help him buy one, the mother and son decided to set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the money needed.
The campaign quickly grew, so much so, that it is now an official non-profit business.
‘We believe K9 police officers deserve the same protection as human police officers. We are making it a priority to vest as many K9 officers as we can to send them home at the end of their shift.
‘It is essential to us that police K9 officers need to be protected their entire shift and not just when it’s convenient to put the vest on.
‘That is why we only donate the LOF Defence StreetFighter vest.
‘The Streetfighter vest is designed so the K-9 can wear it for an extended period of time without fatigue or restricting the freedom of movement’.
There is currently a waiting list of 57 police officers who are hoping to receive a ballistic vest for their four-legged-companion.
While you are here, don’t forget to join our online ’emergency services news’ Group on Facebook.
