Ventura Police Dogs Suit Up in Bullet-Stopping Vests

Every day the four-legged officers of the Ventura Police Department face down criminals with little more than a no-nonsense snarl and a powerful bite. They are often first on the scene but largely defenseless when guns are drawn.

On Friday, the odds were evened a bit when the department’s three police dogs were given lightweight doggy vests to deflect bullets and knives.

Felix, Sagus and Ben sat bundled in their new black Kevlar vests, ears perked and noses twitching.

Their handlers say they will have a new peace of mind when sending their dogs into dark buildings or suspect vehicles looking for criminals.

Officers recalled an incident in 1984 when a police dog named Sonny was fatally shot by a kidnapping suspect with a .25-caliber pistol.

The vest, which covers everything but a dog’s head, legs and tail, would have stopped the bullet, they said.

The $500 Kevlar vests stop most bullets and weigh about 7 pounds. The three vests were donated by Hilford Moving and Storage of Ventura, which also lets the police use its warehouse for dog training.

It was during one of these training exercises that company owner Helen Doane, a dog lover who died in August, asked why the dogs had no protection, given their role in the front line of crime fighting.

“My wife, Helen, fell in love with them,” Robert Doane said as he watched the vest-clad dogs pose for pictures. “She asked why they didn’t have vests, and she was told there was no money for vests.”

She immediately donated the money for the equipment.