Saugus Girl Scout raises money to protect K9 officer

SAUGUS – It?s not every day a dog attends a Board of Selectmen meeting, but on Tuesday night, “Bruin,” the German Shepard with the Saugus K9 unit, was on hand to show off his new bulletproof vest.The vest was the result of a yearlong fundraising effort by Girl Scout Madison Slane, who raised more than $1,000 as part of her Bronze Award service project.?I found out that Bruin works every day without a protective vest,” said Slane. “He didn?t have one of the most important tools to help protect him.”The roughly 50 people in attendance erupted in applause when the Board of Selectmen awarded Slane with a pair of citations for her work.As each selectman thanked her, 10-year-old Slane stood at the podium next to Bruin and continued to pet him throughout the presentation.?The high point to me and to the board is when we have residents such as yourself go above and beyond and do something as wonderful as this,” said selectman Stephen Horlick. “This is the best reason why I like being a selectman.”Slane worked with nonprofit group Vest-A-Dog to help raise the money and said she first learned about bulletproof vests for dogs by reading about it in the newspaper.?I saw an article in the newspaper about Vest-A-Dog,” said Slane. “It?s important because the dog can stay on duty as long as he can and he won?t get hurt.”Vest-A-Dog President Kathy Hinds was also on hand and thanked Slane for her hard work.?It?s only through efforts of people like Madison that step forward and raise awareness and help raise the funds to make sure that these well-deserving dogs actually get the protection they deserve,” said Hinds.After the presentation, officer Timothy Fawcett of the K9 unit said the vest would not have been possible without Slane?s help.?It?s a great feeling to know that my dog has the same bulletproof vest that I have,” said Fawcett. “What this wonderful little girl did is remarkable. The time and effort she put in for this is just ? I?m speechless. She?s just a dedicated young girl. I can?t thank her enough.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter @MattTempesta.