(NECN: Mike Cronin) - He's skilled, trained, and now protected.
"It can save his life from a stab wound or being shot," said Daniel Daly, a K-9 handler for police in Millbury, Mass.
Over the weekend, Millbury's four-legged crime fighter Kenzo got a donated K-9 bulletproof vest. The 2-year-old German shepard has been on the force since January. He's a tracking dog.
"You have to keep him active because he's very hyper, so we try to keep him as active as possible. I'm with him all the time," said Daly.
"It is so crucial. A lot of police departments wouldn't be able to afford vests. I know Webster, Douglas, Sutton, they've all acquired vests through Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog," said Daly.
Hondo also benefits from the organization. The Sutton K-9 has worn his vest for about a year and a half. A Belgian Malawa, he's trained in patrol and narcotics.
"He does drug sniffing and he also does tracking of people; article searches, building searches," said handler Chris Cowan.
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Cowan says the vests protect dogs from bullets, stab wounds, and blunt trauma.
"The vest is very important for the dog because they're out in front of us and a lot of times if there's gonna be a situation, the dog's gonna come up upon it first," said Cowan.
As for Kenzo, Daly says he soon could be trained on how to sniff for drugs. With a larger workload, the vest is necessary for his safety.
Daly says he's comforted that Kenzo is protected while in harm's way.
"They're out in front," he said. "They encounter the bad guys first."
