Shooting in Tangowahine: Police dog shot facing several surgeries but in stable condition

The police dog who was shot in the jaw has improved and is no longer touched and walks away, says a member of the veterinary staff who treats him.

The canine was airlifted to a specialist veterinary team in Auckland to treat life-threatening jaw injuries and blood loss.

He was shot in the head during Tuesday’s shooting in Tangowahine, 12 kilometers northeast of Dargaville.

The man was shot by the police and is stable.

Inspector Todd Southall, the national police dog coordinator, said this afternoon that police would not name the dog due to ongoing investigations.

The comment appeared to be in response to a news outlet that named the dog.

Southall said more surgeries are expected in the coming weeks and the dog faces a long road to recovery.

He said police were optimistic about his return to the scene, but it was still too early to say if he could.

Giving the dog’s handler today’s reassuring news was like telling a family member about a loved one, Coomer said.

“These guys love each other to pieces,” he said of the couple.

“Their society is similar to that of the brothers. It’s nice to be able to deliver good news, especially since it was a touch and it disappeared for quite a while.”

‘He will survive’

Dr. Alastair Coomer of Advanced Veterinary Care said the dog is expected to survive.

“The expectation is that it will continue to improve. We continue working with the objective that it prosper and return to work.”

The closeness of the dog and the handler was obvious from their arrival, Coomer said.

In a “close bond like this,” the dog responded to its owner’s voice before anyone else spoke.

The dog handler had been by the dog’s side when he received the treatment.

Coomer is no stranger to saving the lives of Northland police dogs.

Two years ago, the specialty vet treated Caesar, 20, who had only served two weeks with his handler, Sheriff Josh Van Der Kwaak, when a man resisting arrest stabbed him in the head in a Parua home. . Bay, Whangārei.

Coomer said groups like The Working Dog Center based at Massey University, along with other veterinarians and specialist nurses, meant the country’s police dogs were in “incredible” hands.