Honoring slain police dog with training
Foundation teaches vet care for emergencies
HANOVER — One by one, the firefighters were handed a stethoscope and listened to the beating heart of Norwell K9 Izak as the German shepherd stood on a table.
Dr. Dan Hebert pointed out the basics of a dog’s anatomy: the artery on a hind leg to check a pulse; the tenderloin-shaped muscle on its back where a shot should be injected.
They also learned how to administer CPR to an ailing police dog. “Mouth to snout,” he told about a dozen firefighters who attended a recent training at the Hanover Council on Aging.
Hebert is the chief veterinary officer of the K9 Kitt Foundation, a nonprofit named for a slain Braintree police dog that trains first responders to provide proper care, and emergency medicine, to police dogs.
“Time is of the essence with some of these things,” said Hebert, the former veterinarian for Kitt, who was killed in the line of duty on June 4, 2021. “If I can help dogs ... that have been helping so many humans, I think it’s a great thing.”
Officer William Cushing Jr. founded the foundation last year to honor the sacrifice of Kitt, his partner for 10 years.
“I’m here today because of my partnership with my dog,” said Cushing, who is still recovering from five gunshot wounds from the ambush that killed Kitt. “This is my thing now. I’m all in on helping K9 teams.”
The training can be used by first responders to comply with Nero’s Law, a statute that requires EMTs complete a threehour training course to provide emergency treatment and transport to K9s injured on the job.
The law is named for the Yarmouth police dog seriously injured when his partner, Officer Sean Gannon, was fatally shot by a suspect while serving an arrest warrant on April 12, 2018.
Braintree fire Lieutenant Fred Viola volunteers as the foundation’s medical director. As Cushing’s cousin, Viola said he, too, felt the crushing loss of Kitt.
“They will die for (their handlers),” Viola said, noting Kitt saved Cushing’s life at least twice. “Hopefully, we’ll be saving some dogs.”
The nonprofit also sells “Kitt Kits,” which are filled with basic first aid supplies that handlers can carry with them. They include a special tourniquet for dogs, bandages that can secure over fur, gauze, and safety scissors that can cut through a K9’s vest.
Through donations and fundraising, the foundation has raised over $80,000 since it began around eight months ago, Cushing said.
“We just had a woman donate a few of the (Kitt Kits) to the Framingham Police Department,” Cushing said. “They were super excited.”
In the future, Cushing said, he hopes the foundation can provide training in other states and financial support to K9 teams recovering from injury.
“It’s been a long road,” Cushing said of his journey. “People don’t realize the financial burden of being out of work for so long. You can’t work extra shifts ... you just can’t do stuff.”
Training classes are limited to 25 people, Viola said, so that the class is more engaging and in-depth.
“With the smaller class, you’re gonna get that attention span that we’re looking for,” Viola said. “We’re very passionate about this. It’s very personal to us. So we want to make sure that we’re doing it the best we can for everyone.”
Hanover Fire Captain Rich Salvucci said around 30 firefighters in his department have been trained through the foundation, he said.
“This is the beginning of what it’ll become,” he said. “We’ll do more training for dogs.”
Norwell firefighter Jeannie Reid said she enjoyed the training.
“I love dogs,” Reid said. “I think it’s amazing the work you can do with them.”