/ 23 November 2005

Bulletproof vests for dogs

Now man’s best friend can take a round in the chest and live to bark about it too, thanks to a new bulletproof vest for dogs.

Manufactured by the German firm Mehler, the 3kg protective garment is on display this week at a high tech security trade show outside Paris.

The vest, available in six sizes, is already being used by four-legged conscripts in the Swiss army, company spokesperson Thomas Kulhnlein told Agence France Presse at Milipol, billed as “the worldwide exhibition of internal state security”.

It can also double as a harness for lowering and lifting canine combattants from a helicopter, Kuhnlein explained.

Protection comes at a cost: wholesale prices range between â,¬800 and â,¬1 000, depending on the size. – AFP