The Springville Police Department’s K-9 is getting an upgrade in protection thanks to the help of a nonprofit organization.

Grimm, a single-purpose K-9 who works on drug detection, will receive a custom-made bullet and stab protective vest from Vested Interest in K9s.

“I think it is a wonderful opportunity for our dog,” Lt. Warren Foster said. “Even though our dog is not a dual-purpose dog, that doesn’t mean that people don’t think that it is, and that (single-purpose dogs) can’t be a target, because they are. So this is very much a big thing for our department to get this kind of a donation.”

Since 2009, Vested Interest in K9s has donated nearly 6,000 K-9 ballistic vests to police departments for a value of nearly $7 million, according to SPD, with a goal of protecting the 30,000 law enforcement K-9s in the country.

Grimm’s vest will have the statement “Born to Love-Trained to Serve-Loyal Always” embroidered on it, and will arrive in up to 10 weeks.

“Our canine handler has sent all the measurements for Grimm to the company, and from what I understand, it’ll take a little bit of time for it to be cut and fit and all that, then they’ll send it out,” Foster said.

Similar to police officers, police dogs perform duties that risk putting themselves in harm’s way.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, eight police K-9’s in the U.S. were killed by gunfire in 2024, and one was stabbed to death. Locally, a West Jordan K-9 named Maya was shot while attempting to apprehend a man in 2022.

Foster said his guess is protective vests have saved “quite a few” lives.

“Just the mere fact that they wear them, to me, shows that there is a great deal of love and respect for our canine handlers and their dogs, as well as the departments that have them,” Foster said.

It is ordinary for police dogs to wear body armor in Utah County.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed their K-9’s wear protective armor, and the Provo Police Department owns two K-9 vests, which are only deployed for higher-risk calls because the K-9’s get hot wearing them, according to Janna-Lee Holland, Provo PD’s public information officer.

“We definitely appreciate these vests for short-term wear in high-risk scenarios, as an added layer of protection for our K-9 officers,” Holland said.

Additionally, Vested Interest in K9s most recently donated a protective vests to Lehi Police Department K-9 Abel last November and previously donated a vest to an American Fork K-9 as well.

Per SPD, the protective vests Vested Interest in K9s provides have a value of $1,800, and a single donation of $1,050 will sponsor one vest.