Granite Shoals K-9 Zoe gets bulletproof vest for ruff job
Granite Shoals K-9 Zoe, a Belgian Malinois, sits in the shade, decked out in a new, custom bulletproof vest. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Granite Shoals Police Department K-9 Zoe, a Belgian Malinois, got a custom bulletproof vest for her birthday on Feb. 22. The $1,200 vest was paid for by donations. One donor, Darlene Oostermeyer of Marble Falls, met the police dog on Thursday at The Falls on the Colorado Museum.
“I donated because I saw the article in the paper, and I realized that she was local and she was unprotected,” said Oostermeyer, referring to a Nov. 17 DailyTrib.com story about a fundraiser for Zoe’s vest. “I just couldn’t stand the thought of her doing that kind of work without protection.”
Oostermeyer is vice chair of The Falls on the Colorado Museum Board of Directors. GSPD Sgt. Andrew Kos brought Zoe to the museum on Thursday to visit with Oostermeyer and express his thanks.
“(Getting this vest) is huge for Zoe,” he said. “She is trained in tracking people, and you never know what somebody is going to do.”
The custom vest was created by LOF Defense Systems and purchased through Brady’s K9 Fund, which featured Zoe as one of its 12 Dogs of Christmas in 2023. The vest offers the same level of protection to the one a human officer wears and can stop gunshots and knife punctures.
The vest was picked up in Austin on Wednesday. Zoe turned 2 years old on Thursday. She was born and initially trained in Poland before being brought stateside in the summer of 2023, when she underwent further training with Kos and eventually joined the Granite Shoals department in August.
GSPD got Zoe thanks to a $25,000 donation from New Jersey philanthropist Dr. Cesar DePaco, who contributes to K-9 causes nationwide.
The K-9 deploys across the Highland Lakes, not just in Granite Shoals, and has been used 46 times since August, resulting in 21 arrests.
Zoe’s training and care are largely supported by the Highland Lakes community. According to Kos, Dr. Natalie Lord of HOPE Animal Clinic provides free care and boarding when needed. The Marble Falls Police Department provides Zoe with high-quality food, and residents donate the toys she uses for training.
“This community out here is amazing,” Kos said.