Caesar, a 20-month-old rookie police dog who was twice stabbed in the head while responding to a burglary call in Northland this morning is “recovering well”, police revealed this afternoon.
His wounds have been stitched up at a local veterinary clinic and an X-ray shows no major damage, authorities said. He will, however, undergo a CT scan soon to make sure there’s no permanent damage.
Caesar and his handler, Constable Josh Van Der Kwaak, have only been partners for two weeks after graduating December 6 from the Dog Training Centre in Trentham.
The duo was called to a Paraua Bay home near Whangarei around 6.30 this morning, after a resident there reported finding an armed stranger packing items into a suitcase.
The man, 30, resisted arrest after police arrived, stabbing Caesar two times, according to Inspector Al Symonds. He now faces charges of burglary and injuring a police dog.
“We are hopeful that Caesar will make a full recovery from his injuries and be back on the job shortly,” said Superintendent Tony Hill, Northland District Commander.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the veterinarian who assisted Caesar and his handler…Their service was simply outstanding,” he added in a statement.
“I would also like to acknowledge the victim of the original burglary complaint, who assisted Constable Van Der Kwaak after Caesar was stabbed.”
Serving as a police dog is a dangerous job in New Zealand.
Joshua Luke Cooper was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on December 11, 2018.
Earlier this month, Joshua Luke Cooper was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court to 18 months in prison for an incident in June in which he stabbed Kosmo the police dog in the neck. The four-year-old canine later recovered after receiving a 4cm cut to the throat while responding to a family harm incident.
In July, police in New Plymouth said a man bit their dog and slammed it into a concrete wall as he tried to evade arrest.
And in 2016, four-year-old German Shepherd Gazza was killed in the line of duty - shot during a siege at a property in Porirua.
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