In the Spring of 2001, I was watching an episode of America's Most Wanted and witnessed a video of a K-9 officer pursuing an armed criminal. The dog was shot, fell to the ground, got back up, and knocked the criminal down as the dog's police handler arrived at the scene. Shortly thereafter, the dog collapsed at the feet of his handler and died.
I was shocked. I had recently lost my own two beloved German shepherds to cancer, and I could feel the officer's pain at losing his four-legged partner. I couldn't believe that the police dog had no protection despite the dangerousness of the situation. I knew he would have survived if he had been wearing a protective vest.
