If you have been to a football game, festival, or other large community event in or around the City of Suffolk over the last few years, it’s a good bet that K9 Vega was there earlier, working as an explosive detection K9.
“Vega is a three-year-old Dutch shepherd; she came from Rodam, Poland. She is the first dog that has worked at the fire station,” said Benjamin DeLugo, Investigator with Suffolk Fire and Rescue, and K9 Vega’s handler. “Vega is a single-purpose explosive detection canine – she looks for bombs, bomb making materials, firearms, cartridge casings, and bullets.”
Vega works not only with the Suffolk fire and police departments, but has also worked with the Virginia State Police and the Old Dominion University police.
“Typically, during the school year we’ll help at football games and make sure stadiums at local high schools are safe,” said DeLugo. “We’ve gone to Festival Park for TGI Fridays to make sure that’s safe for patrons; at Peanut Fest, we are out; at Taste of Suffolk, we walk around all day and all night – she’s with me, and we make sure it is safe for the community to enjoy.”
When Vega was injured during routine daily exercise, VRSA stepped in to pay for her veterinary care through our Canine Mortality and Injury coverage.
“Her recovery time was about two weeks, but if you ask her, it was about 30 seconds – she was right back to everything she wanted to do,” said DeLugo. Learn more about Vega and VRSA’s canine coverage in the video below.