Training could save Delaware's K-9 dogs injured in line of duty

Jerry Smith | The News Journal

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When Cpl. Justin Hopkins became a K-9 handler for the Ocean View Police Department four years ago, he had advanced medical training for people.

But if his dog Hardy would have been injured in the field, he was ill-equipped to save his life or provide triage in the critical minutes before getting him to a veterinarian.

"I asked, 'What happens if my dog is injured in the line of duty?'" Hopkins said. "I didn't like the answer I was given. I was told to do my best and get him to a vet as quickly as possible."

Hopkins and other Delaware K-9 handlers received needed training two years ago through a grant and he said they are fortunate not to have had to put that training to use.

But with no more grant money available for training, newer handlers across the state find themselves in the same place Hopkins was.

"Those precious minutes count when trying to save his life," Hopkins said. "The training is critical. We see stories of canines being injured or killed in the line of duty all the time in the news."

The Ocean View Police Department, with help from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 16, is spearheading a fundraising event Saturday at the 16 Mile Brewery in Georgetown that will help provide needed medical training to as many as 50 K-9 handlers in Delaware.

Hopkins said the odds of something happening to one of the K-9 dogs increases every day and he wants handlers to be prepared.

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"It was time we did this," he said. "The funding wasn't available and I didn't want to call it quits. It's very important to make this happen across the state."

Cpl. Leonard Aguilar of the Delaware State Police feels just as strongly about the training. The DSP K-9 handler said the dogs are handlers' partners and most officers don't have the first-aid knowledge to treat them.

Aguilar is working with Hopkins on the event and said he'd like to see handlers learn basic triage in the field so they can stabilize the animal before he is taken in for proper medical attention.

He said that while the funding for medical training has dried up, other charity organizations have donated canine first-aid kits across the state. With the equipment now in hand, he said it's important to have the training.

"We'd like to get every K-9 unit in the state this training," Aguilar said. "It's vital and something everybody should have."

Janice Baker and her team from Veterinary Tactical Group, a firm in North Carolina that specializes in K-9 tactical emergency casualty care training for canine handlers, will conduct the training for emergency medical responders and veterinary personnel.

Baker said the two-day, hands-on course is intensive training focusing on treatment of working dog emergencies in the field. She said the course incorporates current guidelines with K-9-specific anatomy and physiology to provide the most up-to-date life-saving information available.

"Anywhere from 15 to 20 canines are killed in the line of duty each year and just as many are injured," said Baker, whose company conducts about 25 training classes each year. "These injuries are potentially survivable if handlers know how to treat at the point of injury."

Hopkins said bulletproof vests donated or purchased for the K-9 dogs guard against gunshot wounds, but there are other traumatic injuries that can occur in the field. He said the vests don't guard against chemical injuries or heat- or cold-related injuries.

He said the biggest fear handlers have for their dogs are those that come from sniffing for drugs. He said with the increased use of heroin in the state, the potential for the dogs to overdose is real.

Baker has seen it happen all across the country.

"Every year a half dozen dogs become exposed to drugs they are trained to sniff out," she said. "We haven't seen increased exposures in fentanyl cases in dogs. We teach handlers how to use Narcan in the field should it happen."

The Ales for Tails fundraiser runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for children. The 16 Mile Brewery is located at 413 South Bedford St. in Georgetown.

Hopkins said he hopes to raise $25,000, which would train 50 handlers and equip them with emergency kits called canine individual first aid kits.

"These dogs are our family members and a major investment for police departments, so we want to be able to save their lives if we are put in that situation," Hopkins said. "If we save one dog's life it is worth it."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: "Ales for Tails" canine fundraiser

WHY: All proceeds raised by the event will fund vital medical training for 50 police K-9 unit teams throughout Delaware.

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 11

WHERE: 16 Mile Brewery, 413 South Bedford St., Georgetown

ADMISSION: $15 for adults, $6 for children (age 3-12)

INFORMATION: Call the Ocean View Police Department at 302-539-1111

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.

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