Big Creek’s K-9 Cop Gets New Protection

Big Creek Police Chief David Poynor was reading a Sunday newspaper when he came across a story that caught his eye.
The story was entitled “Protecting K-9 Cops” and highlighted the work of Susie Jean of Douglasville, Georgia. Jean, who was at the time grieving the loss of her two German shepherds, saw a fleeing criminal shoot and kill a police dog on her local news. She decided she had to do something.
After contacting her local police department and discovering they couldn’t afford bullet-proof vests for their dogs due to the expense (approximately $700), she began raising funds herself.
Her efforts soon grew into a non-profit organization called Vest N P.D.P. (Police Dog Protection). The organization has distributed more than 260 vests to police departments across the country since 2002.

Poynor’s daughter Kayla decided she would contact Jean via email on behalf of her dad and his police drug dog Sheba.
“She responded very quickly,” Kayla said.
Three months later, Sheba has a bullet and stab-proof vest, which Poynor takes great pride in.
“I have one myself and she’s my partner,” said Poynor, who has served as Big Creek’s chief for 16 years. “She goes everywhere I do. You never know what kind of situation you’re going to get in.”
Poynor has used Sheba to assist several area law enforcement agencies outside of Big Creek.
“The mayor and board of aldermen of Big Creek have been very encouraging for us to help others best we can,” Poynor said. “Sheba is here for whomever needs her.”
Thanks to Kayla’s efforts to contact Susie Jean and the Vest N P.D.P., Sheba is will now have first-rate protection when she answers those calls in a potential hostile situation.
“It just took a little time and effort on our part,” said Kayla, who is working on her EMT license.
The Poynors are also assisting Chickasaw K-9 officer Lee Womack and his drug dog Max in securing a protective vest as well. The Poynors and Womack expressed their thanks for Jean and her organization and what it’s doing for K-9 units.
“A dog goes out with no fear and does what he’s been trained to do without a thought for personal danger,” Jean said in a February 2009 article in American Profile. “My efforts are a small price to pay for our police dogs that protect their human partner as well as our communities.”

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