Breed: Belgian Shepherd
Zara is a confident, high drive Belgian Shepherd with a huge personality and an excellent work ethic. On duty, she is focused, intense, and eager to work and please her handler. Off duty, Zara is still all gas, no brakes. She is cracked out playful, extremely social, and loves being around her handler, family, and friends. There is truly no such thing as personal space when Zara is around. She does not sit next to you, she sits on you. Zara’s favorite way of saying hello is her signature body slam greeting. She will get a full head of steam, jump up, and greet family and friends with an enthusiastic body slam hug, which is her way of showing affection. Zara’s number one favorite toy of all time is a tennis ball, and once it is thrown, nothing is going to stand in the way of her getting it. She has not met a piece of furniture she cannot get over, around, or through to reach her tennis ball. Zara is loyal, intelligent, energetic, and brings positivity to everyone she meets. She has quickly become not only a valuable asset to the department, but also a beloved member of the family.Unfortunately, PSD Zara has not received any formal awards yet, as she was just certified and deployed to the field last week. However, within her first week on the street, including approximately 45 minutes into her first shift, Zara has already proven to be a valuable asset by assisting in a homicide investigation. She completed an article search which helped locate evidence and conducted a track that led officers to the rear of a residence, where a homicide suspect was ultimately taken into custody.
Police K9s are incredible animals that take on so many tasks that humans just can’t do. They have the ability to detect explosive devices, narcotics, weapons, track fugitives and locate missing persons. These tasks often put the dogs in dangerous and potentially life threatening situations. In fact, the police K9s typically face a greater risk than their human counterparts since they are often sent in ahead to investigate dangerous situations. However, unlike the human officers, these K9s are not issued ballistic vests.
Sadly, most law enforcement agencies don’t have the funds to purchase protective gear for their canine members. Smaller police departments can barely afford their K9 officers, let alone ballistic vests for each of them. In fact, many agencies are prohibited from allocating funds for purchase of equipment that is not for human use.
Brady Snakovsky got the idea for his vest nonprofit in 2018 while he was watching A&E’s Live PD. The 8-year-old learned that most local police departments can’t afford the necessary, but expensive equipment. Working with his mother, Leah, the duo set up a GoFundMe account and started spreading the word. Today, the fund has grown and provided hundreds of life-saving ballistic vests to dogs across the country.
But Brady can’t do it alone. He needs your help—today—to equip these hard-working animals so that they and their human partners can come home safe together.
