I saw this article and I was horrified… but then saw that the dog survived and his Go Fund Me raised almost $19,000 of the $25,000 goal!
Original story here.
CLICK IMAGE TO GO TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE
A California police dog was stabbed 27 times by a crazed landlord hiding in a garage as the K9 clamped down on his leg after the suspect stabbed a tenant and hit him with a baseball bat, police officials said.
Aros, a member of the Escondido’s K9 unit in San Diego, was stabbed multiple times in the nose and head on December 9 after he was ‘deployed to locate a person hiding in a garage.’
Police say the seven-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois was assisting them on a mission to arrest the violent landlord on South Maple Street around 1pm. The landlord allegedly entered a tenant’s home unannounced and stabbed him and hitting him with a baseball bat, according to police.
The victim managed to escape and call police, where the landlord refused to come out of hiding after being found in a two-car garage.
After 20 minutes of negotiating with him, officers entered the garage with Aros, Lieutenant Mark Petersen, who oversees the K9 unit, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Aros’ handler and Officer Chad Moore deployed the dog to go after the landlord after he started climbing into the rafters.
Once Aros latched onto the man’s leg, the landlord pulled out a knife and began to violently ‘hack away’ at his head, police said.
Aros, the Escondido, California, police dog, is healing perfectly fine after being stabbed 27 times. The dog, wearing a cone with handwritten messages on it (pictured) is ‘rambunctious’ and energetic again after being stabbed on December 9
The dog had to be rushed to a veterinarian after the stabbing to receive stitches (pictured) for his wounds
‘What was pretty amazing to me, and I’ve been involved with canines for 20 years, is the dog just held on,’ Petersen said. ‘He did his job. He held onto the guy while being stabbed 27 times until the officers were able to get to him safely.’
The officers used a taser and foam rounds on the man, leading to him dropping the knife and falling from the rafters.
Moore immediately rushed Aros to a veterinarian as the other officers arrested the landlord for suspicion of attempted murder, burglary and injury to a police dog.
The victim was transported to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
The dog needed several stitches to close his wounds but is expected to make a full recovery, cops told the Union-Tribune.
His return to the Escondido Police Department is in doubt as official waits to see how his nose – which took the brunt force of the stab wounds – will heal.
‘We don’t know yet whether he will be able to return to service, because we don’t know how much damage was done to his snout. That’s his moneymaker — to be able to sniff stuff. It is just a waiting game at this point,’ Petersen told the paper.
Moore told the Los Angeles Times that the dog’s nose has to be structurally sound enough to perform police work to continue his service.
Complicating the recovery is the fact that Aros, who has been on the force for three-and-a-half-year veteran, has been ripping his stitches open.
‘They are upping his sedation meds,’ Petersen told the Union-Tribune on Thursday. ‘He’s not letting his face heal, [so] he’s back on heavy-duty meds.’
Despite being ‘hacked’ at, the dog never let go of the landlord, who was evading arrest by climbing into the rafters of a garage, as he ‘hacked away’ at the dog’s face
It is unknown if Aros will be able to return to the force, which he is a three-and-a-half-year veteran of. The police force will reevaluate after they know how well his nose heeled
Moore called cone-wearing Aros ‘resilient’ and is still ready for action. He said. ‘Look at Aros and what he went through. He still wants to go out. He still has his energy.’
A GoFundMe has been set up by former police officer Damian Torres, who is raising money for the department to get another police dog and to afford the ‘expensive’ training that comes along with it.
As of Wednesday, it has reached $13,229 out of it’s $25,000 goal.
‘I have an affinity for working-class dogs and as a citizen of Escondido felt compelled to help,’ Torres said. ‘I feel this gives those who donated a chance to act as stakeholders when they see a Police Service Dog, and knowing their contribution helped to add an additional dog and handler to protect their community.’
According to the National Police Dog Foundation, most police dogs come from Europe, meaning dogs like Aros can cost $8,000 and up, with training ranging from $12,000 to $15,000.
Petersen told the San Diego Union-Tribune that each dog cost them around $12,000.
The Escondido Police Department’s K9 Unit, which was started in 1985, has six active-duty dogs.
UPDATES FROM THE GO FUND ME PAGE
Help Aros Heal
February 2, 2022 by Damian Torres, Organizer
Some of you have asked about some current photos, so here is what chad sent me. You can see he is healing but you will still notice the scars. He is looking pretty well considering the severity of the injuries.
February 1, 2022 by Damian Torres, Organizer
I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to every one who donated. Aros is still healing and it unknown what capacity if any will he be able to serve. Chad has been working on basic obedience, drug detection and article searches but bite work is not allowed at this time. I will be closing the account on February 2nd, then will make arrangements to present to the K9 Team for the City later in the month. If you have any questions or just want updates, please contact me. Take care and God Bless
Damian
January 14, 2022 by Damian Torres, Organizer
Aros update. I wanted to thank every one for you patience as I have not sent out an update lately. Aros is continuing heal and is getting back to being himself. It will be a while and probably some dental work to be completed before he can be tested for bite work. As you know securing a bite is paramount in his job. I am going to leave the page open until the end of January. Chad is going to send me a few new pictures to post. Take care everyone and thanks again.
Damian
January 3, 2022 by Damian Torres, Organizer
Happy New Year and I hope it was a safe New Year. Aros is still on a slow path to healing. It will literally be months before he can be evaluated for a return to work. Every day is a day of small victories for he and Chad. Thank you to all the new donors and friends who have helped make this such a success. God Bless and be on the look out for new pics and updates.
Damian
December 28, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
Good morning every one!!! The cone is finally off his head!!! Here are a few photos.
December 27, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
First, I hope you all had a good time with your families over the Christmas Holiday. Aros has a vet appointment this afternoon. The vet is going to sedate him and start removing the stitches. Chad says Arose can’t stand having the cone on his head any longer. The big concern in the damage to the inside of Aros’ mouth.
Since Christmas we have passed the $17,000 mark. The words thank you, generosity and kindness are only a fraction of the sentiment we feel toward so many persons who have donated a variety of monies. Bless all of you who continue to support us. I will have another update today as soon as Chad is back from the vet. More to come.
Chad is back from the vet with Aros. All the stitches are out. Aros still has to take it easy to let the hole in his mouth heal. This is where his fang was cut in half by the assailant.
Damian
December 24, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
Hello, everyone and welcome to the Christmas Eve Aros update.
First, I want to alert you to a scam on GoFundMe. Another person in Utah has set up their own account and used my original post to start to attract funding for Aros. Her name is Amanda and she is trying to raise a goal of $810. She even found an internet photo of another dog with injuries to the face. THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF AROS. I have reported this to GoFundMe but I want you all to be aware.
In speaking with Chad this morning, Aros had a second vet visit yesterday. The vet had to increase the amount of the medication because Aros is trying to fight through it. Chad has had to keep his children away from Aros because he can be unpredictable. Know this is no fault of the dog. He his working through his healing through instinct and survival. Chad tried to get a Christmas photo for us but Aros won’t cooperate. Chad has included a few new photos which I will be posting along with this message.
Please had a safe holiday with your family. God Bless and many hugs from Aros and the family.
Damian
December 20, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
We have had a great day. Today the San Diego Union Tribune posted a wonderful article about Aros, his handler Chad and the GoFundMe page. KFI AM640 also supported Aros and talked about him on their show this morning. I posted a link earlier for everyone to read. I am such a supporter of working class dogs, most likely because a Belgium Malinois and a German Shepherd are part of our family. Having had the opportunity to serve with two different Police K-9 units in San Diego County, I wanted to give back to the K-9 community in which I live. We all want Aros to Heel or Heal, but in essence, want him to get better. The outpouring from the community has been overwhelming and I appreciate all the questions about why I started this and where in the end does the money go. The goal is $25,000. Half will go to the purchase of a new dog when the Police Department sees fit and half goes to the training. Yes, it is an expensive venture. The beauty is line Officers contributing their own monies to this fund and they do this because they are community members as well. Lastly, whether Aros is able to make a return to duty in the coming months or not, know your contributions will go to the purchase and training of a new dog in which to serve our community. Here is a picture of my two.
Damian T.
December 20, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
I can’t say enough about our community. I would love to meet every donor in person to say thank you. I have attached a link to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune about Aros. Please see below
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2021-12-19/aros-the-police-dog-recovering-after-being-stabbed-27-times
December 18, 2021 by Damian Torres, Organizer
I wanted to provide an update on our furry friend and his recovery. A local news source, the Union Tribune contacted me through the GoFindMe page. I spoke to one of the writers and she subsequently sent a photographer to meet Aros. Chad, Aros’ handler took him in his police car to a park for photos. In Aros’ true form, he tried the eat the photographer and tore at the photographer’s camera bag. Chad said the poor dog did not even know what he was doing. He would fall asleep then wake and try to bite the photographer again. He aims to please.
The article should run in the Union Tribune on Sunday the 19th. I will attach a link so all of you can read it. Thank you so much for making the most kind of donations. More updates to follow.
Damian
