Photo/Jim Dean Kay Allred, president of the Sawnee Mountain Kennel Club, pets Ranger, a K-9 dog with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office. Ranger is one of the dogs benefiting from body armor the club donated. On the Net For more information about the Sawnee Mountain Kennel Club, go online at www.smkcga.com.

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office received some specially tailored equipment for its best friends Monday night.

The Sawnee Mountain Kennel Club donated five body armor vests for the office's K-9 unit.

The bulletproof vests, which come with a price tag of about $895 each, will be used to protect the furry deputies as they assist their human partners in various law enforcement activities.

Sgt. Scott Wilson said the vests, similar to those worn by people, are not always practical for everyday wear and can limit agility, but the dogs adapt well to them.

"These have the same protection as our vests," he said. "They are also slash-resistant."

The new duds were presented to the sheriff's office during a Citizens Law Enforcement Academy class at the Forsyth County Public Safety Complex.

Cpl. David Garrison said there are five dual-purpose dogs, all German shepherds, and two bloodhounds in the unit.

The dual-purpose dogs, he explained, will track suspects if necessary, as well as search for illegal drugs. The bloodhounds are used primarily for helping find lost, missing and wanted people.

Garrison's 7-year-old partner, a German shepherd named Ranger, found 200 kilograms of cocaine last May, he said.

Kay Allred, president of the kennel club, said funding for the vests came from the club's two American Kennel Club dog shows last year.

"We do all that we can to help the K-9 officers," she said.

Forsyth is not the only county the group helps. The club has provided special ballistic and stab-proof canine vests for bomb dogs in Hall County and bulletproof vests for the four-legged deputies in Gainesville, as well as Cherokee, Dawson, Habersham, Lumpkin, Pickens and White counties.

E-mail Julie Arrington at juliearrington@forsythnews.com

Originally published Wednesday, February 20, 2008