To set the scene, you are a police officer and part of the police k9 unit or in a branch of service with a Military Working Dog (MWD). Either of these are highly dependent on something we can all geek out about. GEAR! You can sit and scroll for hours staring at helmets, sights, gloves, shoes and even duty belts! You go to the conferences, join the Facebook groups and most of all make sure to bring all of this research and enthusiasm back to our commands. The one thing about all that awesome stuff is that each command is spending money, lots of it, to keep you safe and effective. So, let’s shift the scene slightly and put our selves in the shoes of the purchasing guy. You are tasked with going out and researching or vetting companies to provide gear for your team. You have to make sure this gear meets the specs set forth for you and then it has to be a fair price within budget. Easy enough right?..... This is why no one raises their hands when they are looking for a new purchasing officer… It's hard to stare at a bullet proof vest that is $250 and another that is $1000 and think that this decision is going to ensure someone goes home at night to their family. Bummer, but reality.
So that’s human equipment, lets shift the perspective. Why is it that we think about this when we go to buy human equipment but not our K9 partners? Far too often we sit with clients and there is bond created over our love for our furry teammates. Then we hear that funds are not there for top quality K9 gear. It’s heart breaking to think that there is a hard choice to make when it comes to buying a $1000 human bulletproof vest, but then don’t think twice about buying the cheapest K9 bulletproof vest or none at all. Don’t your partners deserve the same quality you demand for yourself?

This is a hard subject to cover because when we are discussing this its mainly pertaining to departments and government spending, budgets etc. Where most of you have no control over what your purchasing department is buying, and they may not be K9 handlers. Even worse they may like cats 😊

 All jokes aside, this article is intended to be thought provoking and an encouragement to the community we serve to speak up about the welfare of your partner. We have heard many stories in our booth of those that are there buying a K9 vest, patrol harnesses, muzzles and other accessories with their own money because their standard issue was the cheaper option, or the budget just wasn’t there. This is something we are passionate about changing and being leaders in that change. We encourage you to reach out and talk to us about how we can help educate the key decision makers and working with those individuals to create a balance of value and budget. Our foundation was built on creating custom solutions and that includes problem solving with budgets. We are equipped with the
knowledge and knowhow to get the right gear in the right hands/paws. We have creative contracting abilities, market research experts and pricing analysts that can arm you with the tools to ensure your K9 partner is safe and effective. This is all part of our value-add services when you purchase with Recon K9.