Dogs are some of the most amazing creatures on earth. There is no end to what they are capable of doing, starting with their sheer physical and mental capacity and ending with their loyalty and the fact that dogs exclusively are considered man’s best friends.
Dogs have been known to help humans hunt game, save people from burning buildings, and help fight crime. So, when you think about it, calling a dog man’s best friend doesn’t do justice to how amazing they are.
10 Y.O. Brady Snakovsky was watching a police show on TV and noticed not all K9 units are wearing protective vests
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Bored Panda got in touch with Leah Tornabene, the Operations Officer of Brady's K9 Fund to elaborate on the initiative. She is Brady's mother (as well as of two other kids, 11, 10, and 4 years of age) and the wife of a police officer who loves spending time with the family and traveling.
One day, a 10-year-old from Strongsville, Ohio by the name of Brady Snakovsky, was watching Live PD, a documentary TV program about police officers. He noticed that one of the K9 units was not wearing a bulletproof vest. Even though police dogs can (and some do) have protective vests, it turns out that they are not guaranteed to receive any. This makes them a vulnerable target in extreme situations during their police duty.
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Brady decided he wants to donate bulletproof vests to police dogs in need
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
This is when Brady decided that something has to be done about it. He wanted to donate a bulletproof vest to a police dog that needed one. However, these come at a high price, costing 1,200 dollars each. This did not discourage Brady. He started selling cookies and doing everything else that he can to raise money. He even kicked off a GoFundMe campaign, which resulted in him raising enough money for 4 vests.
"Brady has loved the police since age 2. He constantly dressed up as an officer and would get very excited when he would see them on the road," explained Tornabene. "Brady enjoyed watching the show Live PD and that is when he found out that Police K9 officers are not automatically issued to them. He didn't like that at all. He feels that the Police K9's should have protection just like their human partners."
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
The scary $1.200 price tag did not scare him off and after some croundfunding he donated 4 bulletproof vests
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Then he thought “Why stop here?” Brady continued with his efforts—so much, in fact, that he (with the help of his mother) founded the Brady’s K9 Fund, a non-profit organization that aims to provide practical, mission-ready protective vests to police K-9 units in need. Brady and his mother have since then launched another GoFundMe campaign, this time raising over 95,000 dollars towards this noble cause.
So far, Brady’s K9 Fund has already vested 145 police dogs on duty, and currently have another 60 K9s on their list waiting for protective vests. The fund has partnered up with LOF Defence, a police supply store in Edmonton, Canada, to make sure all of the vests are of the best quality for the K9 units.
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Eventually, he and his mom founded Brady's K9 Fund and raised $95,000 to vest unprotected police dogs
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
"Brady has touched many many officers across the US," continued Tornabene. "All of the officers are so very appreciative when they learn that their partner is receiving a ballistic and stab-proof vest. And not just any one, but a top of the line full shift vest. Many are moved to tears. Brady has vested two US ARMY K9's. One currently serving in Afghanistan. This vest will also stay in Afghanistan once the K9 is completed with their mission to help other dogs stationed in this very dangerous area."
"In 2018, Brady had bought every Ohio State Trooper K9 who did not have a ballistic vest issued to them—32 dogs. in 2019, Brady vested all of the Ohio State Wildlife K9's—team of 5. As of today, Brady has vested 145 dogs and we hold a waiting list close to 60 K9s that have been added by their human partners."
Brady’s K9 Fund is such a huge success that even the military is interested. A US Army MWD Belgium Malinois by the name of Vito has been serving in Afghanistan for a while now. He’s currently on his fourth mission as a military canine in Afghanistan, having also served in one other mission in Egypt. He was recently given a vest to keep him safe during his current and future service in the army.
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Even US Military K9 Vito received a bulletproof vest to be worn during his service in Afghanistan
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund
Besides being simply an awesome, kind, and caring kid, Brady was also recently named the ASPCA Kid Of The Year 2019 for being an exceptional person who has shown dedication and commitment to improving the welfare of animals with his activism towards police dogs.
We've asked whether there are any near future plans to vest other service animals, such as horses: "As of now, we are focused on protecting the Police and Military K9's as we continue to see the need for that is pretty big," explained Tornabene.
Consider donating to the noble cause by visiting the Brady’s K9 Fund website. You can also follow Brady and his charity on Facebook and Instagram.
Brady also won the ASPCA Kid Of The Year 2019 Award for his efforts to keep police dogs safe
Image credits: Leah Tornabene / Brady's K9 Fund