Protecting K9 officers so they can protect the community

Officers always practice safety when they are out in the field, but for our four-legged friends who also protect and serve, a bullet proof vest is not always available.

On Tuesday, multiple police dogs came out to practice the things they do in the field, such as looking for drugs throughout storage spaces in buildings.

“Dog’s nose is 5,000 times more effective than a human nose,” said Carey Lindgren, a trainer with Zustan K9 Services. “He can hear your heart beating from 10 feet away.”

K9s have to go through five weeks of patrol training and pass a test before they become official police dogs. Their duties range from narcotics and explosives detection to building searches and taking down suspects.

“What we teach these dogs are perishable skills. So we need to maintain those skills, and that’s what’s going on today,” said Lindgren.

The trainer says dogs like Huro, who works in the Soledad Police Department, only get used in situations involving violent felony offenders, which means they are put in harm’s way.

“Felons that are hidden like burglars in buildings and armed robbers out in the open,” said Lindgren.

But now Huro is getting some body armor of his own, thanks to a donation from the Hausmann Foundation.

“Knowing that he has that added protection, not all of his body is, but his vital organs is protected, it makes the K9 handler that much at ease,” said Walter Tinay, a K9 officer with Soledad Police and Huro’s handler.

The vests can cost up to $5,000. But trainers say it is definitely worth it; just a few days ago there were reports of a K9 in Florida being shot and killed while police were chasing a carjacking suspect.

“The dogs that I’ve trained, I’ve only had one dog that got shot. And that was in Santa Cruz 25 years ago, but it’s a dangerous world right now,” said Lindgren.

Vested Interest in K9s is the group that actually provided the vest for Huro, and Officer Tinay says he is grateful for all the support they have gotten.