Stabbed police dog recovering

A police dog stabbed by a fugitive on a farm in Hawke's Bay yesterday morning is recovering well after having surgery on serious wounds.

The dog, named Edge, was trying to subdue the man, who had started stabbing himself with a knife when approached by police near Maraekakaho, west of Hastings.

Senior Sergeant Mike O'Leary said the man, a 53-year-old who was known to police, was wanted on outstanding warrants and appeared to have been hiding out on the farm.

He ran away when first approached by police but was found soon afterwards in a forestry block.

After being taken to a local vet, Edge was flown to Massey University's veterinary hospital in the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter.

Surgeon Barbara Kirby said today some Edge's puncture wounds had come within millimetres of vital organs and arteries and he was extremely lucky.

Edge spent more than three hours in surgery and received a transfusion of greyhound blood from the hospital's animal blood bank.

One stab wound missed his heart by one millimetre and another pierced his liver, Ms Kirby said.

She said Edge, who is 26 months old, would be monitored closely over the next couple of days and was being given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.

"The last report I heard was that he was doing very very well," she told National Radio.

"I'm cautiously optimistic he will be back to work in maybe a month or two."

Ms Kirby said it was questionable whether or not Edge was the most famous animal she had worked on as she had previously attended to one of the Queen's corgi dogs in Edinburgh.

The knifeman was checked by ambulance staff at the scene and taken to Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital, but he was transferred to Wellington Hospital later in the day for specialist surgery.

"His self-inflicted wounds were more serious than thought at the scene," Mr O'Leary said.

The man was yesterday charged on the outstanding warrants, and also for resisting arrest, being unlawfully on a property and possession of a knife. Mr O'Leary said more charges were likely.

Edge's handler, Senior Constable Dave Whyte, was not hurt during the incident and has been at his dog's side.

- NZPA