Police dog back in action after attack
A Northland police dog that was stabbed twice in the head during a violent struggle may have saved his handler from serious injury.
Constable Josh van der Kwaak and his dog, Caesar, were the first on the scene of an alleged burglary on December 22 at a home in Parua Bay, near Whangarei.
Van der Kwaak appealed to the man to surrender but he refused. ‘‘Caesar was deployed to stop the suspect [but] when Caesar reached him, I saw the man produce a knife. It was pretty daunting.’’
A struggle ensued and Caesar was stabbed in the head twice.
Van der Kwaak joined the fight but the man continued to attack the dog, ‘‘kicking him in the face and trying to choke him’’, van der Kwaak said.
‘‘As police dog handlers, I guess I can probably speak on behalf of all of us when I say we have pretty strong bonds with our dogs. We’re with them not only at work and training, but at home as well.
‘‘In that situation when your dog’s getting extremely hurt and you’re not sure whether he’ll potentially be killed or not, it’s pretty horrible to witness.’’
The 20-month-old german shepherd was bleeding from the nose and mouth but was undeterred. ‘‘He continued to do what he had been trained to do, he never backed down or looked like he wanted to give up ... he reacted the best I could have hoped for.’’
With the help of Caesar and the house’s occupant, the suspect was apprehended. With other officers arriving, Van der Kwaak’s focus then turned to getting Caesar emergency medical attention. He lifted the dog into his truck and turned on the sirens. At the veterinary clinic, it was determined the knife attack had cut through skin and muscle and fractured the skull.
Caesar’s wounds were stitched up and an X-ray showed no major damage. Dr Alastair Coomer of Veterinary Specialists Auckland said the outlook was very positive, and none of Caesar’s injuries were life-threatening or careerthreatening.
Both dog handler and pup enjoyed two weeks off over the festive season. Van der Kwaak was also recovering from a few bumps and bruises. The pair returned to work this week.
Caesar is the first dog van der Kwaak has trained and worked with and the pair graduated from the Dog Training Centre in Trentham two weeks before the incident.