Body armor donated to Salinas police K-9

Salinas police will soon have body armor for one of its K-9s.

K-9 Keno will get a bullet and stab protective vest donated by the nonprofit organization Vested Interest in K9s. It was paid for through by a fundraiser hosted by Aubrey Eyer of Rancho Mirage. The vest, which will say “Gifted by Denise and Aubrey,” is expected to be delivered in the next eight to 10 weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s is a charity based in Massachusetts with a mission to give bullet and stab protective vests and other forms of assistance to law enforcement dogs and dogs with related agencies. Since the charity began, it has provided more than 3,400 protective vests in 50 states through private and corporate donations.

To be eligible to get a vest, the dogs must be actively employed in U.S. law enforcement or a related agency, certified and at least 20 months old. New K-9 graduates and K-9s with expired vests are also eligible.

A $950 donation will provide one vest for a K-9, and each one has a five-year warranty. There are around 30,000 law enforcement K-9s in the U.S.