Police Dog Scores Armor Thanks to Team Wendy

Photo credit: Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

We like big mutts and we cannot lie.

We’re especially fond of K-9 Merlin of the Grand Junction (CO) Police Department. Merlin received a bullet and stab protective vest through Team Wendy’s ongoing partnership with Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
 
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., also known as "VIK9", is a non-profit whose mission is to provide protective vests to law enforcement dogs across the country. Since 2009 it has supplied ballistic vests to more than 3,600 dogs.

The group has also donated 800 opioid reversal NARCAN kits, over $25,000 in animal medical first aid kits and paid more than $100,000 in medical insurance premiums for police dogs.

On top of everything else, they’ve awarded three Chevy Tahoe patrol vehicles (custom fitted for a K-9 Unit) to various departments. The trucks are valued at more than $50,000 each.

"K-9 officers have repeatedly shown how valuable they can be to police departments so we jumped at the chance to assist in this cause," said Mike Romanchek, director of sales and new business development for Team Wendy. "Plus, on a personal level, we're all dog lovers here. Team Wendy is a dog-friendly workplace, and I can't begin to describe the joy they bring to the day-to-day."

Merlin is a rock star in his office, too.
 
A 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd, Merlin is assigned to Officer Joey Gonzalez. Merlin was born in Slovakia on July 4, 2017. He joined G.J.P.D. in 2018 and is certified in patrol duties, tracking and narcotics detection.

"He’s like my partner," Gonzalez told KKCO-TV. "We ride around in that car together and I talk to him, he talks to me, and I’m happy to know he's always back there.” 

When not working, Merlin likes going for walks, playing ball, meeting new people and spending time with his co-workers. He dislikes being left alone and he doesn’t care to watch other people eat when he cannot.

In recent weeks, Merlin tracked down suspects wanted in a string of vehicle thefts. Each vehicle was stolen from a local gym, with the keys taken from an unsecured locker. In all cases, the license plates on the stolen vehicle were swapped with license plates stolen from a different vehicle.