Body Armor Donated To Two State Police K9’s

K9 Ugo and K9 Texas are the newest state police dogs to receive protective body armor that will help keep them safe while they’re on the job.

Ugo, who works with Troop C in Tolland is a 4-year-old German shepherd that is trained in all aspects of handler protection, evidence recovery, building searches and tracking. He also is a member of the department’s Search and Rescue Team and is trained in cadaver, blood and bone detection and live search techniques.

Texas works at Troop A in Southbury. He is a 2-1/2-year old bloodhound that is trained to locate suspects and lost, missing or deceased people.

Both of the dogs’ vests were donated through the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. Ugo’s vest also included a donation from Curtiss Ryan Honda in Shelton, while Texas’ vest was sponsored by a fundraiser hosted by the Beacon Valley Animal Hospital in Naugatuck.

The vest’s cost between $1,795 and $2,234 and weigh about 5 lbs.