Make wishtv.com your home page

Fort Wayne K-9s get life-saving vests through Groupon

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The ten K-9s on the Fort Wayne Police Department force are now better protected.

The K-9s have received ballistic vests through a nationwide Groupon campaign “Goods Pet Collection.” The two-week effort, which ran May 11-25, aimed to outfit police K-9s with bullet- and stab-protective vests by offering Groupons at $10, 100 percent of which was allocated to the vests fund.

All told, the campaign raised more than $39,000. A grant of $10,500 was awarded to the Fort Wayne Police Department through the event for the vests.

Now, K-9s Coris, Tygo, Jax, Django, Ado, Kevir, Bach, Zaras, Bella and Tempo are safer.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., a nationwide nonprofit organization and charity partner, was selected by Groupon Grassroots to handle the program. The campaign was in memory of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s K9 Kye, who was fatally stabbed as he chased and subdued a burglary suspect in August 2014. The vests are embroidered with the sentiment, “In Memory of K-9 Kye, Oklahoma City Police Department”.