Local business donates Kevlar vest to search dog

A man and his dog, we have all heard that before, but getting to know Officer Terry Kaminski and Nadja has been a very rewarding experience for a local small Antioch business.

On a cold January day owner of Leathers 4U, Susie Kleiner, was surprised when she pulled up to open the store, to see a Ranger Police car waiting for the store to open. The open sign went on and in walked Office Terry Kaminski of the Round Lake Area Park District Ranger Police.

Officer Kaminski has been with Round Lake for seven years, and has never had a service dog, his territory covers 65 parks in the Round Lake area alone. With the economic times as tight as they are, funding for service dogs is virtually non-existent. It is for this reason Officer Kaminski came into Leathers 4U.

Nadja is Officer Kaminski's friend and partner; she is trained in finding missing children, autistic children, run-aways, Alzheimer's patients, cadavers and ballistic resin. The Kaminski family took Nadja in when a local family could not care for her anymore, two weeks after she found her new home was when Officer Terry started his training with Nadja.

Nadja's training can bring her into volatile situations and she can encounter situations that could cause her harm. Terry asked Leathers 4U if they could design a Kevlar vest for her protection, but there were no funds for it.

Being that Nadja's main purpose is to find missing children, and Leathers 4U is the home of Children of Fallen Riders, a nonprofit organization that assist's local families when a biker goes down. Children of Fallen Riders has assisted local families with rent or by helping families buy school cloths. Children of Fallen Riders is considered an emergency foundation for Lake, McHenry and Kenosha counties, but with their internet presence has been asked to be involved in many activities through-out the country.

Consulting with her team at Leathers 4U, it was within just a day that Susie called Terry back to tell him he would have his vest for Nadja. Debbie & Mark – Leathers 4U's , Team MacGyver, put together a beautiful vest for Nadja, with the logo's of all the businesses that want to keep her safe.

In the wild it takes a dog almost their entire lives to hone their skills; eyes, ears and sense of smell. With the training and techniques that Terry has learned and is teaching Nadja, it is an about an 18-month process and she can help protect our children.

Officer Kaminski told owner Susie Kleiner, “my dog is a good judge of character and she really likes you guys”, adding “it's a very nice place and very nice staff.”