A police dog is receiving treatment at a vet clinic after he was stabbed during an incident near Whangarei early on Saturday morning.
Police were called to reports of a burglary in progress at a Parua Bay home just before 6:30am.
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A resident had discovered a man in the house packing items into a suitcase. He was armed with a knife.
The man was still in the house when police arrived, and resisted arrest. The dog was stabbed in the head twice during the ensuing struggle.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested and will face a number of charges.
The dog has been taken to a local vet clinic and is reported to be in a serious condition. Inspector Al Symonds told Newshub the dog is expected to survive the encounter.
"He's in a serious condition, we're just checking on some damage to his nerves and things possibly, but at this stage it doesn't look like those injuries are life-threatening."
The dog will be sent to Auckland for scans next week to ensure he hasn't received any permanent or serious damage.
"Hopefully we'll find out that nothing major was damaged and he'll be back to work as soon as he can, like our handlers the dogs want to get back on the job," Insp Symonds said.
"That's what they're paid for, that's what they're trained for and that's what they love to do."
Newshub.
