Project Paws Alive was established in 2012 when our co-founders combined their federal and state law enforcement backgrounds to address a nationwide working K9 protection gap. Influenced by their time working with the FBI’s FTTTF (Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force) and State of Georgia Law Enforcement Agencies, they combined their love of dogs with first-hand experience to create Project Paws Alive, a nationwide non-profit that provides protective equipment to Law Enforcement, Fire, Search & Rescue, and Military K9 Units throughout the United States. Prompted by several law enforcement K9 deaths in one year that could have been prevented if the K9s had been wearing protective ballistic vests on duty, they conducted extensive research and found that almost all first responders do not have the funds or budget approvals to afford such expensive equipment. In many instances, agencies are prohibited from spending budget funds to purchase equipment “not for use by humans”. Due to budget cuts and other economic issues, 92% of all K9 units are run solely on donations. In almost all cases, the handlers must personally pay for their K9 partner’s needs, including medical, food, grooming, training, yearly certifications, and K9 safety equipment such as K9 protective vests, K9 First Aid kits, K9 cooling vests, K9 vehicle heat alarms, etc. Most people assume that because the K9 is an officer of the agency, then the K9 must therefore get all the equipment it needs to be protected and that the agency pays for all its expenses. This assumption is entirely false.