Sheriff’s dog gets bulletproof vest
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A bulletproof vest is an essential piece of equipment for any law enforcement officer. So when the Bridgewater Historical Society heard an Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department officer did not have one, they sprang into action.
Maxx, a German shepard handled by Deputy Mitchell Wheeler, has been with the department for two years, but has never had the luxury of having a bulletproof vest.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
TO PROTECT AND SERVE — Maxx, a canine with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, was given a bulletproof vest thanks to the generous donation of the Bridgewater Historical Society. With Maxx are, his handler Deputy Mitchell Wheeler, left, and Jann Bonkowski Votaw of the Historical Society.
“They (Bridgewater Historical Society) approached me and expressed interest in doing a fundraiser for our canine,” Sheriff Madore said. “They were able to give us $400 to put towards a vest for Maxx.”
Under a federal grant, the Sheriff’s Department is able to get reimbursed 50 percent of the cost of any vest it purchases for officers. Canine units are considered officers in the field.
Jann Bonkowski Votaw of the Historical Society said one of her good friends, Gloria Bradstreet, who has since passed away, came up with the idea of raising money for Maxx. The group thought it was a great idea to do a fundraiser, based on Bradstreet’s idea, and held a dance, raising $400 for the cause.
“We figured Maxx was the most local canine, so he should be the first to get a vest,” Votaw said. “We are still collecting money because we understand there is one in Presque Isle that does not have a vest too. Next year, we hope to do an event for them. We’re very proud of what we are doing.”
Madore said it took nearly a year to get the specially fitted vest for Maxx. The dog had to be carefully measured to ensure it would fit properly.
“We are very pleased with the way it looks,” Madore added.
Maxx, the only canine with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department, performs drug searches and tracks individuals, which typically does not put him in the line of fire. The Sheriff’s Department obtained Maxx as part of a grant through the United Way of Aroostook and has been partnered with Wheeler exclusively.
“I feel safer on tracks with Maxx wearing the vest,” Wheeler said. “I am watching him on a track … his body motions, the way his head moves. So I can literally be within 15-feet of a violent subject, but I wouldn’t see him because I am focused on Maxx. The vest will also protect him, which makes me feel better. He’s not just throwing his life out there for me.”
Wheeler said Maxx would only wear the vest when the situation warrants, because it can overheat the animal.
The first time Maxx put on the vest, the dog was “weirded out” by it, according to Wheeler. But through a series of treats and rewards, it will get easier as time goes on.
In recent years, 13 canines have been killed in the line of duty in the United States, according to Wheeler. Seven of those dogs were shot.
