Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office K9 to be featured in national calendar

PHOENIX — One of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s finest will get to soak up the spotlight in 2018.

This officer surely has some bark and some bite.

Kato the K-9 will be featured in a national calendar published by a non-profit organization that has donated bullet and stab protective vests to law enforcement agencies across the country.

Kato is a five-year-old Belgian Malinois who is certified in patrol duties and narcotics detection. He will be featured in the month of April for next year’s calendar. Calendars are $15.

Last week, the non-profit outfitted six of Maricopa County’s K-9s with a donation of vests.

The organization, Vested Interest in K-9s, is based in East Taunton, Massachusetts.

The sheriff’s office wants to eventually fit all of their 40 K-9s with vests.

The six K-9s — Karl, Ryker, Bach, Hero, Osa and Bull — will be fitted with four to five-pound vests which are valued between $1,744 and $2,283.

Vested Interest in K-9s was established in 2009 to provide protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The group has provided over 2,600 protective vests in 50 states since its inception.

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