Police dog stabbed three times
Rotorua, NL (NZ)Incident Date: Wednesday, Jul 25, 2007
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: 15 year old male
One of New Zealand's top police dogs was stabbed three times as it chased six men fleeing from a stolen car.
Rotorua dog handler Constable Jason Owen and his dog Cane were chasing the men in a forest on New Zealand's north island when one of them turned on the dog with a knife and stabbed him three times in the head and body.
Constable Owen was wearing body armour and was not hurt.
The 15-year-old youth alleged to have stabbed the dog was arrested and Cane was rushed to an emergency veterinarian centre in Rotorua for treatment.
Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said Cane's injuries were serious.
He said Cane had emergency surgery early on Wednesday, then went back for more surgery several hours later.
"The injuries are serious but the prognosis is still positive in terms of him coming through this.
However, he said the stabbing was likely to end Cane's career.
"Cane was coming towards the end of his career and we will probably retire him - almost certainly," Horne said.
The dog's wounds were not thought to be life threatening.
Cane is one of the top police dogs in New Zealand.
Constable Owen and Cane were named best dog handler and dog in June, 2005 when they won the John Rigley National Police Dog Championships. They took the title from 10 other top handlers and dogs from throughout the country.
Cane had been an operational police dog since 2001.
However, police said he was due to be retired and Constable Owen was training another dog to take his place.
The incident began when police chased a stolen car shortly before 2am.
The car was driven into a forest at Murupara, 65 km southeast of Rotorua, and the six occupants fled and were chased by Constable Owen and another dog handler.
"After a chase, for about half an hour on foot, one of the police dogs was stabbed three or four times," said Inspector Gary Hill of the police Northern Communications Centre in Auckland.
The incident showed how police dog handlers throughout the country were "at the sharp end of the stick" and could face a highly dangerous situation within moments, said acting Inspector Greg Sparrow, Rotorua's area tactical response manager.
Sparrow said police dogs did a "marvellous job" and handlers became particularly attached to their dogs.
"They are a family dog too and once they knock off work they become a family pet."
The arrested youth would face several charges, including wounding a police dog, in Rotorua Youth Court.
The other occupants of the car would face a variety of charges. References |
