A soldier on patrol with a protected dog

A Russian firm has started manufacturing bulletproof gear to protect police dogs from pistol shots, grenade shrapnel and knife wounds as the country toughens security measures against possible terrorist attacks.

“The Nord vests, consisting of the cervical and thoracic sections, are supplemented by special equipment to protect the legs, torso and head of a dog,” the Special Materials Research and Manufacturing Association firm said in a statement.

The vest does not restrict the freedom of movement of dogs or complicate the performance of tasks, while removable signal elements made of light-reflecting material allow to identify a service dog as belonging to a particular unit, the firm based in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg said.

A French police dog named Diesel was killed last week during a raid in Saint-Denis suburb of Paris.

Russia’s Interior Ministry recently donated to their French colleagues an Alsatian puppy named Dobrynya after a legendary Russian hero, to replace Diesel.

*Xinhua