K9 Chief will not return to duty
Photo courtesy of Jerry Kayser K9 Chief walks out of the WSU vet clinic Wednesday shortly before heading home.
MOSES LAKE — K9 Chief will not be returning to service, Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The police K9 was shot in his left eye during a police chase on Feb. 28. His life was saved by veterinarians in Moses Lake and Pullman, but the eye was surgically removed.
Though the department had waited to announce whether Chief would be able to return to service, it had previously indicated that the dog’s return to duty was unlikely.
“Chief’s doing really well, his progress is amazing,” Fuhr said in an interview Tuesday night. “But he has a piece of shrapnel close to his jaw, and the fear is that if he continues to be a working dog, that shrapnel could migrate into his jaw and cause further problems.”
Some shrapnel had been left inside Chief due to concerns that invasive surgery could do more harm than good.
A new police dog will be in Spokane next week, and Moses Lake officer Nick Stewart, previously Chief’s handler, will begin training with the new canine then. Police K9s require 250 hours of training within Washington state before they can hit the streets, and Fuhr said they hoped to bring the new dog onto the force by early June.
Chief will remain a family pet with Stewart, who already has a second kennel to house the new dog, Fuhr said.
The police department received roughly $45,000 in donations from community members after Chief was shot, which will help cover additional expenses involved in acquiring and training the new dog. However, Fuhr noted that insurance would cover the majority of the initial costs.