K-9s in armor: Donated vests protect dog squad
Published: November 10, 2005
Sam, Rex and Crause didn’t seem to know what to make of the black military-style vests they wore for the first time Wednesday.
But their police-officer partners were clearly grateful. The gifts could save the lives of the dedicated canines, members of a bomb squad that patrols Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport every day.
The $695 vests were donated by the wife of an Atlanta police officer from another division, Susie Blauvelt, working through a Lithia Springs nonprofit called Vest N Police Dog Protection Inc.
With Wednesday’s gift, all 12 of the airport’s bomb-sniffing dogs now wear the bullet- and stab-proof vests.
The vests “also should give them some protection against explosive devices,” said Atlanta police Sgt. Robert Bailey, who oversees the K-9/Explosive Ordinance Detection Unit.
The unit was formed in the 1970s, and its responsibilities have increased as the airport has grown. The unit is activated about 100 times a year to check on suspicious packages or devices.
The German shepherds, Belgian Malinoises, German short-haired pointers and Labrador retrievers on the team also patrol the airport perimeter, terminal and concourses.
No dogs have been attacked in the history of the Atlanta unit, Bailey said. But numerous police dogs have been shot or assaulted around the country, and other groups have sprung up to buy protective gear for the dogs.
Lawmakers also have stiffened penalties for attacks on police dogs. It’s now a felony to intentionally harm a police dog or horse, and it’s a federal crime to assault or kill a federal law enforcement dog or horse.
Susie Jean, a hair salon owner in San Diego before she retired and moved with her husband to Lithia Springs, said she’s always been an animal lover.
She formed the nonprofit in 2002 after watching an episode of “America’s Most Wanted” in which a police dog was shot and killed by a suspect.
“The dog was chasing a guy with a rifle and he turned around and shot the dog,” Jean said. “The dog kept running, tackled the guy and then died. The officer was bawling when he talked about it, and so was I.”
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