POLICE DOG'S VEST RARE, NEWER THAN HANDLER'S

Cape Girardeau's police dog has body armor.

Seven-year-old Jupp tried on his bulletproof vest for the second time on Tuesday. His muted whines weren't to protest the vest, said officer Dennis Horn, Jupp's handler.

"He's just not sure about all the attention he's getting," Horn said.

The vest makes Jupp a rare dog among police. No other K-9 in surrounding counties has his own vest, and the 14 German shepherds that work around the state for the Missouri State Highway Patrol have only one among them.

Even Horn's vest isn't as up to date as his dog's. It is 12 years old.

"I'm due to get a new one sometime soon," Horn said.

The idea to buy bulletproof protection for Jupp came last summer when the Cape Girardeau Police Officers Association solicited support through telemarketers. Janice Slaubaugh of Cape Girardeau sought more information from police Capt. Steve Strong after a telemarketer asked her to make a donation to buy new vests.

"You never know with all those scams who's calling you," she said.

Slaubaugh said she was told that officers can receive vests through federal grant programs, which do not include vests for police dogs. So Slaubaugh and her husband, Gary, decided to donate $650 specifically to buy a vest for Jupp.

Other area dogs in law enforcement can only look on and drool.

There are no plans to buy a vest for Jackson, Mo.'s police dog, Stadt. "You might run into that more in bigger cities but not in smaller towns," Jackson police Capt. Bob Hull said.

Perry County's Sheriff Department had to save money for about five years before buying their dog, Eiko, last year, Sheriff Gary Schaaf said.

"The big cost is getting the dog to start with," he said.

The highway patrol purchases its police dogs from Germany for $4,800 each, Lt. Tim Hull said. After adding on weekly training and care, funds are not available to buy a vest, he said.

The lucky patrol dog that gets his own bulletproof protection works in south-central Missouri with a donated vest, Hull said.

Over the years, the vest hasn't made much difference for the patrol's dogs.

"We have not had one shot at," Hull said. "One or two have been hit by a car and killed and another was kicked. He suffered minor bruising, so the vest probably helped."

The most serious injury Jupp has suffered was a cut paw, Horn said.

Jupp got to try on the two-piece vest for the first time Monday. Horn put him through drills involving running, jumping and biting.

"It didn't restrict him at all," Horn said. "He was still able to bite and everything."

Jupp won't have to wear the vest all the time. The dog will likely only don the vest when a threat of weapons exists.

The potential for serious injuries when responding to reports of armed criminals makes the vest worthwhile.

"We wear vests," Horn said. "Why not the dog?"