K9 Officer Stabbed While Taking Down Perp, Officers Say He Probably Prevented Shooting

Apr 22, 2019 by apost team

A man in Green Bay, Wisconsin threatened his family with a weapon during an argument and police were called to the scene. An officer with the Green Bay Police department was nearly lost as a result of the incident.

The injured K-9 officer, Pyro, made sure the situation was brought to a swift end but suffered multiple stab wounds in the process.

"That dog did a great job last night," said Chief Andrew Smith, "and as I said earlier I'm convinced that if that dog was not out there, it's very likely that we would have an officer involved shooting."

According to the Green Bay Police Department, Pyro was treated for three serious stab wounds to his neck. Doctors Susan Leonard and Lisa Peters provided the initial treatment to Pyro when he arrived at the Animal Referral Center. The emergency surgery the dog needed to save his life was performed by Dr. Ryan Demianiuk.

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A problem arose during the surgery and Pyro needed a second surgery to address a stomach issue. Pyro is now looking at an extended period of recovery. The Animal Referral Center says Pyro was able to stand on his own briefly following the surgery but is extremely weak and in critical condition.

“We have very high hopes that he’s going to survive this incident,” Chief Andrew Smith told WABC-TV.

Chief Smith says he and the department are confident Pyro will survive the scare. The chief also says he is looking forward to the day Pyro returns to duty.

Luckily for Pyro, his handler, officer Scott Salzmann, has been by his side through and through. 

"Pyro's handler, Officer Scott Salzmann remains by his side and has been sleeping at the Animal Referral Center for the past few days so he can be close to his canine partner and assist with his care as much as possible." The department wrote in an update on their Facebook page. "Having his partner close and keeping Pyro calm is especially important during these critical steps in his recovery."

Do you consider Pyro a hero? Are you rooting for his full recovery? Let us know in the comments - and make sure to pass this along to your friends and family!