SHENANDOAH COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a grant to protect one of their four-legged officers.

“Vested Interest in K9s,” a national charity with a mission to provide bullet and stab protective vests for the dogs of law enforcement, has awarded S-C-S-O’s K9 officer “Axel” their “Healthcare for K9 Heroes” grant.

The grant is awarded to departments that have the financial burden of raising funds to support their K9 unit, have no more than three K9s, and have previously been awarded a vest through Vested Interest.

Since 2016, the charity has donated nearly a half-million dollars towards to help self-funded K9 units like the one in Shenandoah County.