I started my police career with the intention of putting an accounting degree to work, as a financial crimes detective. As a rookie assigned to nights, I quickly learned there were a group of officers who seemed to only appear when there was a car chase, foot chase, or violent felony in progress. The K9 unit quickly grabbed my interest and I started attending training with them on my days off. I was fortunate to be selected for K9 as a young officer, and loved the next 10 years in the K9 unit. Most of my great memories in law enforcement revolve around car chases with K9 deployments, manhunts in dark alleys, and hearing the familiar blade slap from my friends in the air unit who kept me safe from above. Over the course of my career in law enforcement, I was privileged to be a K-9 handler, K-9 unit lead trainer, field training officer, academy instructor, firearms instructor, active shooter instructor, and retired with the rank of Sergeant.

 

When my time in police K9 drew to a close, I embarked on a journey in the K9 bite sport "PSA K9" in which I became a high level competitor, certified trial decoy, four time national select decoy, and am proud to serve as the secretary of decoys for the organization. PSA K9 has taken me all over the world and I will forever love being part of the trial decoy brother and sisterhood.

 

Early in my career as a police K-9 handler, I was disappointed in the quality of the gear I was using. My gear was always wet, muddy, and I was extremely hard on it. I saw gear fail which was a safety and liability concern. I started sewing my own gear and only used premium components that I knew would not fail on the street. What started as a fun hobby sewing for myself, quickly turned into sewing for colleagues and friends, which turned into a small business that I truly hope benefits the K-9 community.

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Since 2012, Kirby K9 has manufactured working dog equipment, with innovative equipment designs that are inspired by the handlers on the street who demand high quality equipment. The best gear on the market is manufactured by people who have been in the trenches and understand the needs of dogs, handlers, and trainers. That's what separates Kirby K9 from most of the K9 equipment makers.

 

Kirby K9 is the largest dealer of Demanet bite suits in the United States, and has been privileged to be part of the design, and research and development process for new Demanet products and bite suits. No other Demanet dealer or distributor can claim that. In 2023, Demanet partnered with Kirby K9 to manufacture Kirby K9 designed bite sleeves. This partnership is deeper than business, and we are honored by the tables we are asked to sit at.

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When you purchase a Kirby K9 product, you can be sure that the product has been field tested, stress tested, and will not fail when you need it most.