This company isn't going to the dogs!

Working dogs have been a help to man for centuries, but today's dogs face new foes. We use dogs in police work, all branches of the military as well as for private security contractors. One company in Winnipeg Canada made over $50,000 last year helping to outfit those working dogs with new tools to further help their human partners. In this article put out by Fortune and Small Business We meet Jim and Glori Slater, owners of the business K9 Storm. Jim was a K9 handler who realized one day during a prison riot that his dog and partner, Olaf, was very venerable to being stabbed or shot. This led him to retrofit a human flak jacket to fit his dog. Soon, he was swamped with orders from other professional dog handlers, and thus a booming business was born. For the last eleven years the Slaters have been working to perfect the jackets and equipment seen is their latest catalog.

Equipping a dog for war isn't cheap. K9 Storm's vest the "Intruder" starts out at $20,000. That sounds like a lot, but consider that once on the dog (who themselves can cost up to $50,000 to buy and train) has the bullet proof vest on, its handler can then remotely access a camera mounted on the vest along with speakers and a microphone. The handler can see what the dog sees, and can give commands to the dog as well as people in the immediate area. While the "Intruder" doesn't come out until 2010, there are already several orders waiting for it. Fortunately for local police departments there are donations waiting to assist in covering the purchase costs.



Well, I am a dog person so this article fascinated me. I really like that the dogs that are literally on the front lines are being protected so well. I went to the company's website and took a look around. I was really impressed. They carry professional dog handling items ranging from leashes and collars to a vest that is not only bullet-proof, but straps into a harness so that the dog can make parachute jump right along with their human partner.

The fact that there are grants and donations set up to help offset the cost of this very valuable equipment is heartwarming as well. One donor is Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback for the Pittsburg Stealers gave $250,000 to the Pittsburg police and fire departments to outfit their dogs. I like what Brian Adams, spokesman for the MSPCA-Angell Veterinary hospital in Boston said. "Suspects pursued by police will stab, shoot and kick working dogs. They are like any officer of the law. We want to protect them."