By Juan Ortega
Sun-Sentinel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — After a Broward Sheriff’s K-9 named Oozi was fatally shot last year in the line of duty, a Cooper City man wanted to do something to better protect the dog that would replace him.
So 18-year-old Robert Rausch - a former participant in the Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program - began researching bullet-resistant vests and helped arrange for a manufacturer to create a lighter, more comfortable vest for a dog.
At a news conference Tuesday at the Broward Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Building, Rausch watched as Deputy Jerry Wengert was given a green vest, adorned with the word “sheriff,” for Wengert’s new partner, Bali, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois.
“Seeing this come together is unbelievable,” said Rausch, who considered the vest a fitting way to honor Oozi.
The 7-year-old Belgian Malinois caught many bad guys during his career as a trained police dog. On July 17, 2008, he was shot and killed during a confrontation with a burglary suspect who had fled from Oakland Park to Miami Beach.
Rausch, who graduated from Cooper City High last year and plans to enter the Air Force in October, said Oozi’s death struck a nerve. Years ago, his grandfather John Tester was a dog handler for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and was paralyzed on the job, Rausch said.
So Rausch worked to obtain a vest that was lighter than previous models and would snugly fit a dog. He persuaded the National Police Defense Foundation and the Florida Police Defense Foundation, two organizations that support law enforcement, to help pay for the vest.
In addition to Bali, a dog with the Golden Beach Police Department named Bento received a vest. Two vests for people were given to Wengert and to Bento’s partner, Sgt. Lyndean Peters.
At a reduced price, Point Blank Body Armor in Pompano Beach manufactured the vests. The ones for dogs each weigh about 2.5 pounds and can cost up to $1,000, said Ron King, a retired Melbourne police lieutenant who works for Point Blank.
After seeing many reporters at the conference, Bali was “too wound up” to have his vest placed on him. Wengert said Bali would try it out later.
Copyright 2009 Sun-Sentinel