San Diego's K9 Cop Takes A Licking But Keeps On Ticking

SAN DIEGO, CA -- When Dexter, a K9 with the San Diego Police Department, was stabbed seven times in February, multiple people joined forces to help the beloved four-legged animal recover. After receiving surgery, the 4-year-old dog recovered in just one month and is now back on the force fighting crime.

Dexter was admitted into the Veterinary Centers of America Animal Hospital after he accompanied his partner in response to an incident in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego. A suspect was holding a butcher's knife and stabbed Dexter in the torso after the dog bit him.

"After the stabbing, Dexter was brought to VCA Main Street where he underwent a surgery from a stab wound to his left side," said Matt Monte, regional operations director for VCA, which has provided care for the San Diego Police Department's K-9 Unit for 25 years. "Dexter performed well during the surgery. Dexter then was transferred to VCA Emergency Hospital and Referral Center for overnight care and further treatment."

Since the surgery, Dexter has made a full recovery and is stronger than ever, said his partner Officer Dave Winans.

"The recovery process was like with many dogs, Dex managed to pull a few staples out so we had to get that fixed," said Winans, who has worked with Dexter since June 2017. "Dex did not like the 'cone of shame.'"

Winans described his relationship with Dexter as a great one.

"At work he is all business, (but) at home he is all about belly rubs and running around the yard," Winans said.

Dexter and Winans are one of 34 K9 teams within the San Diego Police Department, said spokesman Larry Adair, who described the K9s as "invaluable."

"They protect their officers, their keen senses help locate explosives and narcotics and their use as a force option and psychological deterrent reduce or completely eliminate the use of force when dealing with individuals," Adair said. "The inherent nature of dogs being physiological deterrent helps us gain compliance more often than not without using any force and that is our ultimate goal."

--Photos courtesy of San Diego Police Department