Foundation donates bulletproof vest to police K9 in memory of 8-year-old
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ST. ANTHONY — The St. Anthony Police Department’s K9 received a bulletproof vest in memory of a boy who was dedicated to protecting dogs.
The California-based Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation’s mission is to provide protective tactical gear to police dogs. This week they gave a bulletproof K9 vest to St. Anthony police.
“Gavin lost his life along with his mom and dad when he was 8 years old,” says Barbara Metz, Gavin’s great-aunt, who is also the treasurer of the foundation.
In 2015 Gavin and his parents were murdered by his 16-year-old half-brother in El Dorado County, California.
Metz says when Gavin was 5 years old he used his money — saved from the tooth fairy and household chores — to make his first $100 donation for a bulletproof K9 vest.
“Our family felt that we needed to carry on his legacy of protecting K9s, so that’s why we launched this foundation. That’s why we raise money, and that’s why we donate to local police K9s,” Metz says.
Metz presented the vest to the department’s dog, Mako, alongside his handler, Sgt. Greg Belew, during Thursday’s City Council meeting.
“The foundation is a great thing. They’ve helped a lot of other agencies throughout southeast Idaho,” Belew says. “We didn’t have a vest for Mako, so they provided us with the means of getting a vest.”
Belew says the foundation reached out to them after the department got Mako. Mako, a 3-year-old German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois mix, was purchased in April through the help of reserve officer Erik Estrada.
This kind of vest can run upwards of $1,700, Belew said. It was bought from Iowa company Canine Tactical. Metz says it’s bulletproof at gunpoint range, stab proof, lightweight and it comes with a flashlight.
The Gavin Buchana Foundation has donated seven vests for dogs in Idaho, seven in California and one in Nevada. It has also donated heat alarms and safety kits so dogs are safe in vehicles.
To donate to the foundation or learn more about its mission, go to GavinMemorialFoundation.com.