Please Welcome K-9 Vito #415

Please take a moment to welcome K-9 Vito as Program Member #415 to our Project K-9 Hero Pack! K-9 Vito served as a Dual-Purpose Patrol Apprehension/Narcotics Detection K-9. He started with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office from 2019 through 2021 and then finished the last five years of his career with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit in Montana until his retirement on August 29th, 2026.

K-9 Vito is a nine-year-old Belgian Malinois whose initial Patrol and Narcotics schools were completed at Golden Gate K-9 in California. Vito was certified through CA POST (Patrol) and the International Police Canine Association (IPCA) (Narcotics) until he relocated to Montana. After moving to Montana, Vito completed his certifications through the North American Police Work Dog Association (Patrol/Tracking) and IPCA (Patrol/Narcotics) until his retirement. Vito also attended additional training and schools, including ATK9 in 2023.

Throughout Vito’s seven-year career, he was involved in over 200 deployments, with more than 150 of those being patrol-related. Vito had 16 physical apprehensions, many of which were during tactical operations with SWAT. Vito also had numerous drug seizures while working patrol, with one incident resulting in 20 lbs of methamphetamine being taken off the street.

After a very active career across two states, Vito has had an extreme amount of stress placed on his body while serving the public. Vito currently suffers from chronic arthritis in his hips and joints, which is starting to greatly affect his mobility. Vito is happily retired with his Handler, but he is on daily medication supplements to help maintain his still-high energy level, which is becoming increasingly expensive for a Deputy Sheriff and his family.