Breed: Dutch Shepherd/ Belgian Malinois
Stitch is a Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix serving with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office as a K9 specialist in apprehension and narcotics detection. He embodies his name just like the Disney character — his handler had to earn his respect and trust, and together they developed a partnership as strong as the handler’s first K9. Off duty, Stitch enjoys running around in the backyard or simply lounging, savoring the simple pleasures of being a dog after a long day of dedicated service.
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.
