Policeman’s vigil for shot dog
A police dog shot in the jaw has improved and is no longer at risk, a veterinary staff member treating him says.
The canine was flown by helicopter to a specialist vet team in Auckland to treat life-threatening injuries to his jaw and blood loss.
He was shot in the head during a shootout in Tangowahine, 12km northeast of Dargaville, on Tuesday.
A man was shot by police and is in a stable condition.
Inspector Todd Southall, national co-ordinator of police dogs, said yesterday that police would not name the dog because of ongoing investigations. Southall said more surgeries were expected over the coming weeks and the dog faced a long road to recovery.
He said police remained optimistic about its return to the beat.
Advanced Veterinary Care’s Dr Alastair Coomer said he expected the dog’s condition to continue to improve. “We are still working with the goal of him thriving and going back to work.”
The closeness of the dog and handler was obvious from their arrival, Coomer said.
In a “tight bond like this” the dog responded to its owner’s voice ahead of every other person talking.
The dog’s handler had been by the dog’s side as he received treatment.
Coomer is no stranger to saving the lives of Northland’s police dogs.
Two years ago, the specialist vet treated 20-month-old Caesar, who had only clocked up two weeks on the beat with his handler Constable Josh Van Der Kwaak when he was stabbed in the head by a man resisting arrest at a home in Parua Bay, Whanga¯rei.