Community Corner
Police Dog Bulletproof Vest Fundraiser Sunday at Applebee's
Hounds on Working Leashes (HOWL) is hosting fundraiser Sunday at Applebee's for South Whitehall's police dog, who was recently fitted for a protective vest.
Hounds on Working Leashes (HOWL) is hosting a breakfast fundraiser Sunday at Applebee's to help pay for a ballistic vest for South Whitehall's newest police dog, Cirrus.
A custom-fit protective vest, which would help protect Cirrus from bullets and knives, costs $1,300, said HOWL founder James Kutz, of South Whitehall.
Kutz said he and his wife, along with family and friends, started HOWL to help buy safety equipment for emergency service K9s, in Allentown. But after talking with police department handlers and seeing news reports of police dogs killed in service, the group began to explore purchasing protective vests for police dogs.
"We asked many handlers why the dogs didn't have vests like the officers did," Kutz wrote in an email. "Most said it was because they were too bulky and hindered the dog doing his job."
HOWL learned of bullet-proof and stab-proof custom-fit vests for police dogs, made by a company in California, which do not hinder the dogs in their work.
So far, HOWL has helped provide a customized vest for two area police dogs, including Salisbury Police Department's K9, Fonzie.
For more information, go to www.houndsonworkingleahes.org or Facebook.com/houndsonworkingleashes
- Breakfast is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday at Applebee's, 1510 Cedar Crest Blvd., South Whitehall. Tickets cost $8 for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. Boy Scout Troop 8 will donate proceeds from a car wash they will hold in the Applebee's parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Tickets for the breakfast can be purchased at Applebee's or by contacting info@houndsonworkingleashes.org
Kutz said he and his wife, along with family and friends, started HOWL to help buy safety equipment for emergency service K9s, in Allentown. But after talking with police department handlers and seeing news reports of police dogs killed in service, the group began to explore purchasing protective vests for police dogs.
"We asked many handlers why the dogs didn't have vests like the officers did," Kutz wrote in an email. "Most said it was because they were too bulky and hindered the dog doing his job."
HOWL learned of bullet-proof and stab-proof custom-fit vests for police dogs, made by a company in California, which do not hinder the dogs in their work.
So far, HOWL has helped provide a customized vest for two area police dogs, including Salisbury Police Department's K9, Fonzie.
For more information, go to www.houndsonworkingleahes.org or Facebook.com/houndsonworkingleashes
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here