Carrie Coppernoll, columnist
Girl fulfills quest to protect police dogs in El Reno
CARRIE COPPERNOLL
Comments 
6
Published: June 30, 2009
EL RENO — Vicky Galindo’s hard work paid off.
Right: Vicky Galindo, 9, helps El Reno police officer Chris Leal put a new bulletproof vest on K9 officer Hero. Galindo helped raise money to buy the vest for the police dogs. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
Multimedia
After months of collecting money, the 9-year-old rustled up enough to buy a bulletproof vest for El
Reno Police Department’s canine officers. She presented the vest to the department in a ceremony Friday.
"I got to put a vest on one of the dogs,” she said. "It was cool.”
I first wrote about Vicky in January, when she had started her campaign to buy bulletproof dog vests.
Vicky’s dog,
Oreo, had been hit and killed on the highway in front of her house. After losing her best friend, Vicky decided she wanted to help keep other dogs safe in his honor. Vicky put donation jars in several El Reno stores and faithfully picked up the coins.
"I want to help animals big and small,” she said when she started her campaign.
Her original goal was to raise $1,280 and buy two dog vests, but the company she planned to use wasn’t returning calls or cashing donation checks, her mother said.
With a little more than $1,200 in hand, a new company offered to help her. Safariland, a military and law enforcement supply company based in
Florida, offered to sell her a $2,000 vest for cost - about $680. The company donated a second vest. A Safariland representative brought the vests for the ceremony Friday, said Vicky’s mom, Juanita.
"I’m proud of my daughter,” she said. "It was overwhelming. I’m glad she did what she did.”
Leave a Comment
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).