After two different San Diego Police Department K-9’s were injured on the job within a week of each other in December of 2025, safety was clearly becoming more of a concern.
Luckily the two dogs were able to get the care needed for a full recovery.
But yes, these dogs on the front lines that have proven fast, brave, and powerful, also need protection.
Good news comes in time for the New Year.
County Sheriff’s Office announced that same month, that all of their patrol K-9s will now wear new storm ballistic vests.
Ballistic Vests are used in law enforcement for potentially dangerous situations.
A ballistic vest is body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of threats such as sharp objects, firearm projectiles, and explosion fragments to the torso.
The costly vests to provide safety are designed specifically for K9s.
The cost to provide ballistic vests for the entire San Diego County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit was $62,000, according to the HDSA.
A very generous donation towards this move is what made things possible for all K9s of the SDPD unit.
The long road to protecting our police K9’s.
It has been a long road to get here, but these vests have proven to save lives, and the dogs have proven to be valuable in doing the same.
Policemag goes into detail why it has been a process to get the vests available, and why they are so desperately needed.
There is much to be considered with creating tactical gear for dogs.
A dogs quick movement and flexibility is what makes them powerful, when restricted from that, they can become vulnerable.
“If the armor inhibits the dogs ability to move, it increases the likelihood of the dog getting hurt,” he says. “We are trying to reduce that risk. If the armor is bulky and a suspect can grab it and hold on to the straps and fight the dog or remove the vest, you’re increasing the likelihood of the dog getting hurt.
Modern vests are becoming more available now to protect our police K9’s. But it does remain very costly to get them out to every K9 on the front lines.
But with more voices and funding, I do believe we will get there.
Get more information or share your own with FidoMingle your pet’s organizer and travel app.
Image: Aardvark Tactical Gear