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Chattanooga flight paramedic donates bulletproof vests for K-9 officers

Courtesy photo by Stacy Prater / Dr. Christopher Walls of Scenic City Family Practice poses, from left to right, with East Ridge Police Department K-9 handler Officer Stephen Rhudy, center, K-9 Officer Quest and Stacy Prater of the KC Candle Company.
Courtesy photo by Stacy Prater / Dr. Christopher Walls of Scenic City Family Practice poses, from left to right, with East Ridge Police Department K-9 handler Officer Stephen Rhudy, center, K-9 Officer Quest and Stacy Prater of the KC Candle Company. Courtesy photo by Stacy Prater / Dr. Christopher Walls of Scenic City Family Practice poses, from left to right, with East Ridge Police Department K-9 handler Officer Stephen Rhudy, center, K-9 Officer Quest and Stacy Prater of the KC Candle Company.

By La Shawn Pagán 4 min read

Stacy Prater believes all law enforcement officers, humans and dogs alike, should be protected.

The full-time clinical educator and Life Force flight paramedic for Erlanger has been working with law enforcement officers since graduating from high school in 1994, and in that time he’s seen their dedication and the sacrifices they make for their community.

Now, fueled by his respect for police work and his love of animals, Prater is using the e-commerce shop he operates out of his East Brainerd home to collect donations of bulletproof vests for K-9 units.

“A lot of people look at them as just a dog,” he told the Times Free Press in a phone interview last week. “To me, they’re police officers and they deserve the same amount of protection.”

To that end, his company, KC Candle Co., made on Thursday its third donation of a K-9 bulletproof vest, this time to the East Ridge Police Department’s new K-9 officer, Quest.