Scent-trail dog will be fully vested

Bullet doesn’t quite look comfortable yet in his new suit.

However, as the bloodhound gets more acclimated to his heavy protective vest, he’ll continue to help the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office as a scent-trail dog — and he’ll have a special vest to help keep him safe.

Tuesday, Bullet put on a short demonstration of how well he can move with the gunshot and stab-resistant vest on. While the bloodhound looked perplexed while the new vest was placed on him indoors, he quickly got into business mode once he got outdoors.

Lt. Aaron Groves walked around a building, and Bullet later picked up Groves’ trail scent on the cold grass, following it around the building and sprinting toward Groves.

The vest is heavy, but Bullet was able to run with it on — and the 2-year-old-dog now has a layer of protection he didn’t have until recently.

A grant program allowed the JCSO to obtain Bullet’s custom-fitted vest free of charge. Reserve officer Marsha Patterson, a volunteer, traveled to a North Carolina kennel to pick up Bullet more than a year and a half ago.

Bullet is available to JCSO any time he’s needed to track suspects; other dogs are specifically trained to hunt down either narcotics or human remains.

The program is organized by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. — a Massachusetts company. A nationwide “Groupon” event raised more than $335,000 for vests.

Each vest, including Bullet’s, bears the phrase “In Memory of K9 Rocco, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police” on the side, in memory of a Pennsylvania dog who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in January 2014. More than 350 vests are being distributed.

The vest is also labeled “Sheriff,” to let civilians know Bullet is on duty, and to distinguish him from any animals working with any state or local police at a crime scene. Patterson said she’s grateful for the program.

“It’s worth about $950, and a lot of departments and individuals wouldn’t spend that, in most cases,” Patterson said.

Patterson said she isn’t sure how well the thick, heavy vest will affect Bullet in the warmest of conditions, but his safety is important. He’s smaller than some police dogs, which might help him endure better in trying conditions.

“He’s resilient,” she said.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com