Help Protect Our K9 Protectors
K9 police dogs are important and necessary for crime prevention in our community. They loyally carry out their dangerous work every day to keep us safe. These canine officers, like human officers, deserve the protection of body armor. Sadly, many law enforcement agencies and police departments do not have the funds to purchase vests that can save the lives of their police dogs. With your help and generosity, we can protect our K9 officers with bulletproof and stabproof vests as they courageously serve to protect us.

The Vest We Supply with Your Help

About K9 body armor: The K-9 One™ Vest is the official vest of the original Vest-a-Dog™ program. In fact, every state has working dogs wearing K-9 One™ armor. It is the #1 top selling dog vest in the United States and thousands of K9 officers have been vested throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This is a Level 2 vest that stops the round most frequently found on the streets today. This lightweight three-piece vest has adjustable Velcro and elastic straps which allow it to fit any size dog. The yoke design enables the K-9 to perform all of his duties with no hindrance to movement; the K-9 One™ Vest design provides more freedom of movement than any other K-9 vest on the market.

For more information on how you can help protect your Local K-9 protector, contact your local chapter:

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Our First Fundraiser Sept. 28, 2002

Dog wash fiasco proves no good deed goes unpunished

By Beth Snead
Independent Tribune

CHINA GROVE — Through a series of minor miracles, two dogs got bathed in China Grove as of about noon Saturday.

It all started with good intentions. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College organized a dog wash to raise money for bulletproof vests for canine officers of China Grove and Kannapolis police forces.

Members of the A.L. Brown High School Navy Jr. ROTC turned out to volunteer — shampoo, dog brushes, and elbow grease at the ready.

Five dogs showed up early on during the 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. washing, and so did the China Grove Fire Marshal, who threw a wet blanket on the proceedings.

The area’s severe water shortage was going to mean that the dogs would go dirty, and no money would be raised for bulletproof vests for the canine officers — unless some well water in a tank could be found.

The dirty dogs were turned away.

But Roxanne Johnson, wife of Phi Theta Kappa’s officer Nathan Johnson, couldn’t bear it.

“Never say die,” she said.

The dog wash will go on.

She got on the phone and called everybody and anybody in China Grove with a well and a tanker truck, and finally tracked down Colin Patterson of Exterior House Washing.

Patterson said it was late notice and all, but yeah, he’d be right there.

He delivered the water tank on a trailer, which he left for the gang.

“It was just unbelievable how this all worked out,” said Nathan Johnson.

“We had all these people here who want to give back to the community and we didn’t know how critical the water shortage was, and then this man came and brought us this water. God did it. It wasn’t about us.”

After God provided a tank full of water, the dog washers were momentarily left scratching their heads, wondering how they were going to connect their hose to it.

Johnson said he walked out to the edge of the road.

“It happened just like that. I had one foot in the road and I saw a truck that said ‘plumbing’ on the side. God knows what I need, because I needed a piece of threaded pipe.”

Darrell Seymour of The Plumbing Shoppe of Landis happened by.

“This guy started hollering at me and I thought he was going to shoot me,” Seymore said, laughing.

The only thing the RCCC group needed then was some dirty dogs to wash.

Seymore owns two dirty yard dogs, he said, but he couldn’t go home and fetch them for a bath Saturday.

“I gotta work,” he said. “I gotta feed ’em.”

So Bonnie and Clyde remain dusty.

But Bear, the Johnson’s black lab, and Briar Rose, the St. Bernard of Cathy Ketner, got clean.

Briar Rose, age 3, was hesitant about stepping in the tin washtub for her bath, so the students accommodated her by bathing her al fresco on the asphalt.

The 3-and-a-half-year-old appeared to enjoy the pampering, lifting her head high as the volunteers washed her neck, scrubbed her back, and gave her an overall beauty treatment.

The rinse water came plastic cupful after plastic cupful.

Then she would shake.

And shake.

And shake.

A lot of water can come off a wet St. Bernard.

Good thing it was well water.

• Contact Beth Snead at ssnead@independenttribune.com or 704-789-9131.

This story can be found at: http://www.independenttribune.com/MGB00WL9O6D.html