KEY POINTS:
Police dog Cane's career is over after he was stabbed with a dagger by a suspect he had tracked for several kilometres through bush in the central Bay of Plenty.
Cane, a national police dog champion and one of five police dogs based at Rotorua, was seriously injured when he was stabbed in the head, neck and shoulder early yesterday.
Police have hailed the dog as a hero for subduing the teenage suspect despite being wounded, but said Cane - although expected to recover - would not return to service.
The seven-year-old male german shepherd was rushed to a Rotorua veterinary clinic for emergency surgery and remained there last night for observation.
The dog's handler, Constable Jason Owen, did not want to speak about the incident.
"He's obviously upset," Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said. Mr Owen and Cane had worked together for 6 1/2 years, won the national police dog trials in 2005 and came third last year.
"They're a champion team," Mr Horne said. "[But] we'll almost certainly retire Cane as a result of this incident."
Mr Owen had already begun training puppy before Cane was stabbed, planning to retire the older dog in a year.
Mr Horne said the way Cane's career had ended was a "tragedy' but he praised the dog and police officers involved in the arrest six people trying to flee in a stolen vehicle.
The group led officers on a two-hour pursuit on forestry roads around Murupara, southwest of Rotorua, before ditching the stolen ute and heading into dense bush on foot.
The pursuit began after the 4WD vehicle was seen about midnight by Murupara Sergeant Rob Hutchins, who was off duty at the time.
Mr Hutchins followed the ute for a time in his own car, before heading to the police station to get a police vehicle.
He was joined by another officer in another vehicle and together they tried to stop the ute but were forced to abandon the pursuit several times.
"There was some pretty desperate driving of the ute," Mr Horne said. "At one point, it flew straight over a log."
The speeds the pursuit reached were not. The ute was eventually found abandoned, and Mr Owen and Cane were called in to track the occupants.
They walked 5km to 6km through the bush which Mr Horne said was "a tremendous effort"in itself.
"It is isolated and difficult terrain. There are no street lights in the Kaingaroa Forest."
Mr Owen arrested one occupant of the ute without incident on a track.
The incident only turned violent when Cane picked up the scent of another person.
Mr Owen yelled to the person to stop but, getting no response, he let the dog go.
"The dog reached the offender before the handler,"rne said.
"As the handler ran up, he heard the dog yelping, which suggested the dog was being stabbed.
"However, the dog stayed on the offender despite the fact he'd received three serious stab wounds to the shoulder, neck and head."
Mr Owen was wearing a stab-resistant vest and with Cane's help overpowered the suspect.
"The person was still in possession of a weapon ... so they had to disarm him," Mr Horne said.
The knife used to stab Cane was described as a dagger.
"It's a fairly short blade but it's designed as a stabbing weapon and it's inflicted some pretty fearsome injuries."
Mr Owen then gave up the chase, rushing his severely bleeding dog to Rotorua.
Another dog handler was called to continue tracking the remaining occupants of the ute which Mr Horne said resulted in "the third piece of really great police work" during the night - the first being Mr Hutchins spotting the stolen car and the second, Mr Owen and Cane apprehending the first two suspects.
The scent was two hours old by the time the second handler, Constable Mike Whyte, and his dog Bosco arrived. The remaining four people were tracked down and all surrendered.
"A concern that police have nationally is young people driving like maniacs in order to avoid police, and sometimes over quite minor matters," Mr Horne said.
A 16-year-old youth appeared in the Rotorua Youth Court yesterday charged with wounding a police dog, burglary, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, and possession of an offensive weapon. The youth was not the driver of the ute.
CANE IS THE NAME
* He is seven-year-old german shepherd.
* He was stabbed when tracking suspects from a stolen vehicle in bush near Murupara.
* He is expected to recover but now faces early retirement.
* He will either stay with his handler or be given to another person.
