Beckley, WV (WOAY) On Thursday, September 3rd, the Beckley Moose Lodge helped out a few furry friends from the Beckley Police Department. Beckley’s Loyal Order of Moose donated three bulletproof vests to help protect each of Beckley’s loyal K-9s. Unit Zero and Unit Veto visited the lodge to show their thanks and try on their new gear.
Corporal Lauryn Capehart, a Canine Supervisor for Beckley PD, says that protective equipment is vital for K-9s who often accompany officers on the most dangerous calls, and this kind of protection wouldn’t be possible without the community’s support:
“Being a canine handler, we’re usually in the middle of it. Any dangerous situation — we’re usually there first or, you know, one of the first to be there. So, you know, that puts us in harm’s way – not only us, but our canines as well. We wear body armor every day, so our K-9s should get the same protection… Without the support of the community, these things would not be able to happen. You know, a lot of the stuff that we purchase comes out of our own pockets. So without the support of places like the Moose Lodge and other, you know, big pillars in the community, we wouldn’t be able to protect our dogs the same way.”
According to Beckley Moose Lodge President Bill Tucker, the Moose Lodge had previously purchased K-9 vests for the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department with donations from a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, and they wanted to do the same for the K-9s of Beckley PD. However, with that fundraiser scheduled over two months away, they purchased the vests ahead of time to make sure Beckley’s K-9s have proper protection when they need it.
“We didn’t want to leave, you know, our other unprotected friends out there… We went ahead and bought those vests, and we’re going to have a fundraiser on November 14th, but we didn’t want to leave the vests here in a box and let one of the K-9s end up needing it…”
Tucker says that community involvement is a major part of the Moose Lodge, and they are glad to help. If you would like to contribute to the effort to armor Beckley’s K-9s, be sure to look out for more details on their November fundraiser.
“The Moose Lodge is grateful to be able to help… We’re a family fraternity, so we should be involved in our community, and we are very involved.”
