Champion dog hurt in armed drug raid

Ila with handler Senior Constable Jason Todd. Photo / Mark Mitchell

With four stitches in her nose, champion police dog Ila is recovering from being slashed with a knife while on duty.

The 5-year-old German Shepherd, who won the last national police dog championship, had surgery after being attacked during an early morning raid with the armed offenders squad in Porirua near Wellington.

Her handler Senior Constable Jason Todd, who has had her since the age of 1, joked she was "not quite the pretty girl she used to be with the scar".

"She's feeling very sorry for herself but when that wears off she'll come right," he said.

Two weeks before the national police dog championships, Mr Todd hoped the reigning champion would be fit enough to defend her title.

"Time will tell - if she's not, I'm not going to push her," he said. "Her health comes first."

Mr Todd said the 30kg "tiny but tenacious" dog's "high drive to retrieve" was her top attribute.

Last year after winning the title, Ila was raced off to the Napier gun siege in which Jan Molenaar shot dead Senior Constable Len Snee and critically wounded Constables Bruce Miller and Grant Diver.

Mr Todd was tightlipped about her role. "We were there on the cordon, we'll just leave at that."

Last night Ila was to be picked up by the Johnsonville foster family who raised her and would probably spend a rare night indoors as a treat.

"She'll get a bit of pampering, a bit of TLC ... maybe a few extra pats," Mr Todd said.

Ila was injured at an armed offenders squad raid in Camborne, Porirua.

Kapiti Mana Area Commander John Spence said police had a warrant to arrest a man, who was wanted for drug offences.

Mr Spence said the man tried to escape police and grabbed a knife, stabbing himself before he was confronted by a member of the specialist squad.

During that scuffle Ila was slashed across the bridge of her nose.

A Taser was used to subdue the man.

The man was taken to hospital and was yesterday in a serious but stable condition.