Psychiatric care for man who attacked Gus

Stabbed police dog Gus is making a recovery after being stabbed in the chest. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A Whangarei man charged with stabbing police dog Gus as the animal was protecting its handler has been remanded into the care of a psychiatric unit.

Kelly Brindle, 37, has been charged with aggravated assault with a knife, assaulting a person with a knife, injuring a police dog and unlawfully taking a vehicle after an incident on October 3 where Gus suffered a punctured lung during a chase through dense bush.

Police said Gus was acting to protect his handler and due to the dog's bravery, more serious injury to police officers was averted.

Brindle's appearance was excused when the case was called in the Whangarei District Court on Monday.

Judge Duncan Harvey remanded Brindle in custody to the Mason Clinic for assessment.

Brindle will reappear in the court on December 9.

The incident began when police were alerted to a 37-year-old man believed to have been carrying a knife and a firearm at his Parakao home, 40km west of Whangarei, about 4pm on October 3.

Members of the Northland Armed Offenders Squad, along with detectives and frontline officers, went to the property.

The man was reported to have been in an agitated state and while officers were placing cordons around the man's property, the man allegedly stole a quad bike from another property and rode off.

Police chased the man, who abandoned the bike on farmland and ran off. AOS members, the police dog handler and Gus started tracking the man through thick bush and the man was later found at about 4am. He allegedly stabbed Gus and tried to stab the dog handler.