NEW DETAILS: Eastern Iowa K-9's to receive protective vests - KWWL.com

Five eastern Iowa K-9 officers will receive bullet and stab protective vests as part of grassroots campaign.

Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office K-9 Loki, Linn County Sheriff's Office K-9's Gompie and Gucci and Cedar Rapids Police Department K-9's Nero and Jenks were all selected by a Groupon event aimed at providing police K-9's with bullet- and stab-proof vests.

"With the K-9s, they're going into an area first," said Loki's handler, Deputy Matt Harris. "They're usually our first line of defense going into a house to search for somebody or an open area in a field or something. You know apprehend a suspect ... they should have every bit of the protection that we have afforded to us."

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., which sponsors the event, hopes to raise nearly $100,000 to provide 100 police K-9s with vests nationwide.

If you would like to help support this program and help other K-9's receive vests, you can make a $10 donation here.

The event ends Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.