Animal Rights

Ruff stuff

by Mike Miliard

KNIGHT IN SHING ARMOR: protecting the pooches who watch out for us.

Maybe they're too preoccupied with the more glamorous arena of the fur industry. Or too busy trying to put dairy farmers out of business (and get college kids to drink more beer) by fulminating against the evils of milk. Or perhaps it's a latent antipathy toward law enforcement. But we haven't heard much from groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals about the daily danger faced by police dogs.

As officers from the Boston Police Department smash down drug-den doors, clubs or guns in hand, dressed to the nines in helmets and bullet-proof vests, their canine companions are often left unprotected from the blows (or worse, blades and bullets) of the bad guys.

Not to worry, though, because the Animal Rescue League of Boston and Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog are on the case. On Wednesday, 12 dogs (six staties and six from the BPD) out of the 253 quadrupeds in Bay State K-9 units were outfitted with brand-new $650 bullet-resistant vests through the two groups' efforts.

"These are the same vests that police officers wear, but with a different cut to fit the dog," says Ted Clark of the Animal Rescue League. "They're bullet-proof and knife-proof, but we've found that the more common canine injury is blunt trauma -- hitting or kicking the dogs. That can result in bruised ribs or punctured lungs."