- A Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department K9 is recovering after being injured in a shooting Saturday.
- The dog underwent surgery and is in "serious but stable" condition.
- The community is showing support for the dog on social media.
- Video shows the latest update on the situation.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I’m your Fond du Lac neighborhood reporter Margaret Cahill on the 500 block of Western Avenue. Just behind me is the back entrance on Drury Place, where a shooting between an officer and a man took place on Saturday.
The man was killed and a sheriff's department K9 was critically injured.
Now, a painting of that dog hangs on the neighbor’s fence as the community continues to hope for a speedy recovery.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, police were called to a home on Drury Place early Saturday morning for a disturbance.
They found a man in a car, and the man and an officer exchanged gunfire.
The man was injured and later died at the scene.
A neighbor told me Saturday that she heard the gunshots from a block away.
“We've lived here for 20-some years and never thought anything would happen around this neighborhood. This is a pretty safe neighborhood. And so it's pretty scary,” Lori Malzhan said.
The DOJ says the injured K9 was brought to a local veterinary hospital to receive critical care.
By Sunday morning, the sheriff’s department says the dog was awake enough to recognize his deputy handler and chew on his favorite toy—a tennis ball.
The dog then underwent a “lengthy surgery.”
The sheriff’s department says a yellow lab named Dwyer, owned by one of the hospital veterinary technicians, donated blood to the deputy K9.
That transfusion allowed the dog’s blood levels to rise enough to undergo surgery.
Facebook posts show an outpouring of support from the Fond du Lac community.… with many changing their profile pictures to a photo of the dog.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department says the K9 program is 100-percent donor funded, and those looking to contribute to help pay for medical bills can either write a check by mail, or donate in person or over the phone. Details can be found on our website.
I met several of these K9 pups earlier this year. If you'd like to know more about their job, you can visit that story here.
Note:
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office said they were instructed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Criminal Investigation to not comment on this situation until the investigation is over.
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