One of the dogs in the Garden City police’s K-9 unit has some fancy new duds.
Arie, a 5-year-old German shepherd, received a bullet-resistant vest from Vested Interest in K-9s. Arie and his handler, Officer David Dess, displayed the new equipment at a Garden City City Council meeting Monday night.
Vested Interest in K-9s, a nonprofit organization that provides bullet and stab resistant vests for law enforcement dogs, originally donated the vest to a Vermont State Police K-9 unit named Casko. Casko retired from service before the lifespan of his vest expired, and his handler, Cpl. Michelle LeBlanc, asked Vested Interest to reassign the vest.
Because Arie and Casko were around the same size, the Garden City police canine received the vest.
Dess and Arie became partners after participating in a six-week canine handling course together in Chatham County. They train weekly for a minimum of six hours per week to maintain proficiency, and to fortify the bond they’ve built. But Dess said their relationship doesn’t end when the two clock out.
“That’s my buddy. He goes everywhere with me. Even on our days off, I try to find places I can take him with outside seating. He goes on vacation with us, and he sleeps at the corner of our bed,” Dess said. “He does everything with me.”