The condition of the dog is critical but stable, according to the Reading police department.
The three-year-old Belgian Malinois dog was flown by medecav helicopter to the Univerity of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital. The injured K-9, which began service July 7, 2014, was transported on the ground with a Philadelphia police escort.
The Reading Eagle newspaper reports the animal was searching a middle school at the time of the accident.
Reading police had responded to Southwest Middle School at about 8:15 p.m. for a report that the school was unsecure.
Officers found a side door unlocked. They searched the school to make sure intruders were not inside. The K-9 unit was called to assist in the search.
The dog fell about 15 to 20 feet, police told the Eagle, while on an elevated catwalk.
The K9 was taken to a veterinary center in the nearby suburb of Shillington and became lethargic, showing signs of internal bleeding.
The dog's handler and a K9 supervisor were taken with the dog to Penn Vet, according to Reading police.
Police are not releasing the handler's name, but the handler was identified in a Reading television news account as Officer John Hutchinson when the dog hit the streets.
The Belgian dog and a German Shepherd K-9were bought for the department via a grant of $17,500 dollars, according to WFMZ-TV.
Ryan Hospital at Penn Vet is open 24 hours a day, staffed by emergency medicine clinicians and emergency/critical care specialists. It is considered the top trauma center in the country.
No one was found inside the building.
The Reading police department plans to post additional updates on its Facebook page.
(PhillyVoice.com - Sept 5, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment