K-9 Cash got a uniform upgrade on Monday, and it’s not just for looks. Cash — the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9 — will now wear a ballistic vest, keeping him safer when responding to dangerous scenes, thanks to a donation from Evansville-based Ballistic Buddies.
Ballistic Buddies raises money to purchase ballistic vests for law enforcement working dogs, then donates the vests to law enforcement free of charge. Monday’s donation to Cash is the 34th vest donated by Ballistic Buddies since the program began.
Jessi Hewig, Ballistic Buddies founder, personally presented the vest to Cash at the Daviess County Courthouse.
“I’ve worked as a veterinary assistant for 22 years in Evansville. I’ve cared for many K-9 officers and learned quickly that I love working dogs,” Hewig said. “I also realized through conversations with handlers that vests were not provided for the dogs by most departments and that I could help fill that void. In less than 3 years, I’ve now helped provide 34 vests for dogs in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee.”
If anyone is interested in donating funds to this program, they can contact Elite K9 at 270-554- 5515. The money donated will be applied toward the purchase of a K-9 vest, and when it has been completely paid for, Hewig will award it to the next K-9 on her list.
Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman said he is grateful for the donation.
“The kindness of people like Jessi is inspiring and ensures that no part of our operation is overlooked,” Youngman said. “These working dogs are deputies too, and they need to be protected as such.”
K-9 Cash and DCSO Deputy Kolbe Mattingly graduated from Cedar Creek Kennel in Monmouth, Illinois, on December 13. The dual-purpose law enforcement K-9 course is a 10-week class for both the handler and the service animal that focuses on topics such as narcotics detection, tracking, article and building searches, and apprehension.
Cash was sworn in as a DCSO deputy in December in front of fellow deputies and Mattingly’s family.
