Jessamine County K9 unit receives bulletproof vest from anonymous donor.

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) -Jessamine County only has one K9 officer, and his name is Macho Man.

As the only K9 officer in the county, he handles many different tasks. Some tasks include drug detection or suspect tracking. For a K9 unit, extra protection is always helpful.

Sheriff Anthony Purcell at the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve dealt with the loss of officers before, and it is heartbreaking. He said protecting their K9 unit is just as important as protecting their deputies.

“All the deputies and the staff think the world of him,” Sheriff Purcell said.

Shortly after the Floyd County shooting an anonymous donor reached out to the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office. Purcell described the donor as an animal lover who was hurt after the devastating shooting killed a K9. The donor offered to buy a bulletproof vest for their K9 unit. Sheriff Purcell said the donation meant so much to their deputies.

He said, “The donor said don’t worry about it, and pick out which you need for the K9 unit, and they would take care of it.”

A bulletproof vest can cost more than a thousand dollars. He said with this donation, they will have more money in their budget to get more gear for their deputies.

“We don’t always have the budget for everything we need,” he said. “We have to pick and choose sometimes, so it was a great help to us.”

He said they bring Macho Man to community events often. The public loves him, and he gives the public the same love in return.

“That’s definitely a morale booster, not just for the K9 but for all the deputies, that somebody cared enough to donate something that expensive,” he said.

Sheriff Purcell said the whole Sheriff’s office is so grateful for the generosity and kindness of the anonymous donor.