By Kim Hilsenbeck
Like any Hays County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Rocky now has his very own bulletproof vest. And in his line of work, that’s a good thing. Rocky is a K9 deputy who is on the front lines, tracking criminals, sniffing out illegal drugs and helping his fellow deputies fight crime, albeit on four legs.
Last Thursday, Rocky was in the center spotlight for his vesting ceremony at the Hays County Government Center in San Marcos.
The made-to-order vest was donated through an all volunteer nonprofit, Vested Interest in K9s, whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests for law enforcement dogs throughout the United States.
Rocky and his trainer, HCSO Deputy Troy Mayes, are on-call 24/7 for whatever kind of activity might require a K9 unit. Mayes has been training with, and living with, Rocky for almost 18 months. Rocky is a four-year-old Dutch German Shepherd from Holland. He has more than 1,000 hours of training so far.
He is what Mayes called a multi-purpose K9.
“[Rocky] does persons locating, narcotics detection and we do some tracking as well,” he said.
Mayes said it’s fortunate that Rocky’s only on-the-job injury was when he scraped a paw pad. But Mayes said he feels more confident taking Rocky out on calls now that he has a vest. He gave the shepherd credit for being very smart and helping catch several “bad guys.”
Through private and corporate sponsorships, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 435 law enforcement dogs with protective vests since Aug. 2009. More than $400,000 in K9 vests have been donated in 36 states. Each vest costs $950 and has a five-year warranty, according to a release by the sheriff’s office.
10-2 shutdown w/2 mugs
shutdown1: Doggett
shutdown2: Smith
