10-year-old Brady Snakovsky decided to do something about the fact that police dogs don’t get bulletproof vests.
He learned this while watching a show with his family around 2 years ago. He spotted a K-9 dog without protection as his handler.
His mother, Leah Tornabene, said that she was watching the show with her son and didn’t even notice that the dog wasn’t wearing a west.
She was surprised that an 8-year-old boy could easily see a problem and that he had to do something about it. She was very proud of him.
Brady’s K9 Fund, a Non-Profit which Raises Money for Police & Military Dog Bulletproof Vests
This observation resulted in the start of the Brady’s K9 Fund, a non-profit organization which helps raise money to supply bulletproof vests for police and military dogs.
He opened up a GoFundMe page which enabled the purchase of the first 4 vests.
So far, Brady has bought more than 257 vests and collected more than $315,000. The dogs are from 23 different states and even Canada.
He also bought vests for the working dogs in Afghanistan.
Tornabene notes that most people are unaware that the police forces with K9 units rely on help from donations. The handlers reach Brady through his website or by word of mouth.
Although several dogs have been the most special to the boy, one holds a special place in his heart.
The K9 Benny is his favourite as his handler was very thankful for the vest that he began to cry. Brady said they’ve become good friends with him.
The Boy Doesn’t Plan on Stopping anytime Soon
Brady’s collection of funds for bulletproof vests for dogs isn’t his only venture- he has also created a dog park in Brunswick, Ohio which is close to his hometown.
Now, the park closes one day per week to allow the police dogs to train with their handlers.
He was inspired to do this after he learned that police dogs are often in need of a practicing place so that they can do their monthly trainings.
Thanks to his community, they managed to restore the park and added equipment for dog agility training. He hopes to help as many police dogs as possible, both through his non-profit and through this park.
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