• By Major F.B. Stanley
• Posted Monday, April 11, 2011

FCSO Receives Protective Vest for Canine

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office proudly announces that its Canine Unit has received a generous donation of a bulletproof/stab proof protective vest for its canine, Chase. This protective vest has been donated by Oldtown Veterinarian Hospital and Vest ‘N P.D.P. (Police Dog Protection), a non-profit organization that raises money to provide vests to police dogs.

In April 2010, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Canine Unit participated in an open house event at Oldtown Veterinary Hospital featuring local Animal Heroes. Oldtown donated 20% of event sales to participating Animal Hero groups and chose to raise funds to purchase a canine vest for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Canine Unit. Since the funds donated from the event were short of the required purchase amount, Dr. Schroeder and his staff at Oldtown Veterinarian Hospital launched a fund raiser to collect the remaining balance.

The Sheriff’s Office Canine Unit is essential to protecting and preserving the safety and security of our community. Our Canine Unit consists of nine dogs which are specially trained to detect explosives, drugs, firearms, and track and apprehend suspects. Law enforcement canines risk their own lives in the line of duty and are being injured and killed more frequently than ever. With the addition of this protective vest, our canines have a vital layer of protection while carrying out their daily duties.

Vest ‘N P.D.P. was created by Susie Jean in 2002 to raise funds to provide bulletproof/stab proof vest to law enforcement canine units in order to protect these animals from the dangers they encounter while serving and protecting communities. Through their work, Vest ‘n P.D.P. has outfitted 586 police dogs in 40 states with protective vests. The protective vest is measured for each dog and takes 4-6 weeks to be made. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made by visiting their website at www.vestnpdp.com.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office wishes to extend sincere appreciation to Dr. Schroeder, the community who donated funds, the staff at Oldtown Veterinarian Hospital, located at 3744 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC and Vest 'N P.D.P. for their financial support and commitment to keeping our law enforcement canine partners safe.