North Carolina K-9 officer ‘Joker’ gifted body armor vest

LAURINBURG, N.C. (WNCN) — A dog named Joker has become the latest K-9 officer in the state to receive a donated ballistic vest to keep safe while in the line of duty.

Joker, who works for the Scotland County Sheriff's Office, had his vest embroidered with, "In memory of K9 Hobbs, Des Moines, IA EOW 12-12-23."

A charity organization called Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has created and provided more than 5,700 vests to active duty K-9 officers since 2009. Their mission of the past 15 years has been to make custom-fitted bullet and stab protective vests that could save the life of the K-9s in service.

According to the nonprofit group, there are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K-9s in the country.

K-9 Dash of Fuquay-Varina police sports his newly-donated vest

To help equip at least a portion of these dogs with protective armor, Vested Interest in K9s takes in tax-deductible donations to keep the production of the vests moving forward. A donation of $985 sponsors one vest, however the total value of the vest is approximately $1,800.

Vests like the one Joker received are open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and are actively employed/certified with a law enforcement agency. So far, the vests have been donated across all 50 states at a collective value of $6.9 million.