You know how sometimes, you think you could do a little more to help charities, or you see someone collecting for a good cause and feel bad that the best you can do is put in a few coins?
Well, prepare to be well and truly humbled. 9-year-old Brady has raised an astonishing $102,000 to fund ballistic vests for police dogs.
Not every K9 officer is equipped with a bulletproof vest as standard. In fact, most police dog units are self-funded. Once the third-grader from Strongsville, Ohio noticed that not all K9s had the protective vests, he set out to raise enough money to buy a vest. He soon found that he could do even more and with the help of family, his local community and vest manufacturer Line of Fire Defence Systems, he was able to donate four anti-ballistic vests for K9 officers.
Brady told Homeland Security Today that he was watching Live PD when he first learned about bulletproof vests for dogs.
“I saw that the handler was wearing one, but the K9 was not and I asked my Mom about it. That is when she told me that ballistic vests are not automatically issued to the K9s like their human partners.”
Brady explains that each vest costs $1,200. “Line Of Fire Defence is kind enough to give me the Law Enforcement cost which allows me to donate more.”
Brady adds that the vests are a very important tool that all K9’s should have. Innovative technology has created a vest that is lightweight and helps regulate body heat keeping the K9 cool, at the same time as providing ballistic and edged weapon protection for vital organs while allowing complete freedom of movement. The vests can be worn throughout the K9 officers’ entire shift and through training days so they can focus on what they do best.
Since those first four vests, Brady and his mom, Leah, have set up a Go Fund Me page and he has raised a phenomenal $80,000 to date via the page with a further $20k+ donated via his own website, www.bradysk9fund.com.
Brady hopes he can provide many more K9 officers with a protective vest. To date, Brady has donated 85 vests, making sure many K9 officers come home at the end of their shifts.
“I hope to provide as many vests as I possibly can to the very deserving officers that are out there. Currently, we have a waiting list of 59 Police Officers who have contacted us in need of a vest. With your help we can help provide them with one.
“Helping those K9s stay safe as they help us each day in the community is the least I can do. Hopefully one day all K9s are provided with a vest, until then I am here to help those in need of one!”
We think Brady will make a great officer himself one day, and he told us that he would maybe like to be a K9 handler. But why stop there, President Brady Snakovsky has a nice ring to it, don’t’ you think?
Let’s get behind Brady’s K9 fundraiser here or at his website and help him and all the K9 officers who protect us.
If you are an officer who would like to request a vest for your K9 partner, you can do this at Brady’s K9 Fund website.
