Police dog shooting: The Northland vet called on to save badly injured dog

The heroic Northland police dog critically injured in last week's shootout has returned home in time for Christmas. Photo / Supplied

A Northland vet has detailed her adrenalin-pumping helicopter mission to help save the life of the police dog shot during an armed face-off in Northland.

Kamo Vets senior vet Sandra Murray had just finished a routine spay surgery on a dog when a colleague told her a person was on the phone and a police dog had been shot.

At 10.07am, Murray's day changed from mundane to extraordinary as a St John caller said: "A police dog was shot in Dargaville. We are sending a helicopter to get him and we need a vet."

In 26 years as a vet, Murray had worked with animals ranging from wild kiwi in NZ to snakes abroad.

"In a helicopter?" Murray asked. The answer - "yes" - thrust Murray into the response to a dramatic shooting.

The dog, which police have refused to name, had been shot in the muzzle during the shootout in Tangowahine, near Dargaville.

Now she had just 10 minutes to be in the helicopter - her second-ever such flight after a scenic outing in Fiordland decades earlier.

The drive to the helicopter base in Kensington was a six-minute sprint. Murray – supported by colleagues - had mere moments to improvise an emergency kit to save the life of a dog with injuries that were a complete mystery to the vet.

"I had no idea what to expect. We didn't know if the dog was alive or not."

A flurry of catheters, pain medication, syringes, bandages, sedatives and IV fluids went into the emergency box.

She pulled into the Northland rescue chopper carpark in Kensington then dashed to board with St John paramedic Josh Raravula, NEST pilot Gerhard Pistorius and co-pilot Joel Higgie.

Every second of the 15-minute flight to Dargaville was filled with planning.

"I still didn't know what the condition of the dog was other than critical ... At that time they thought the dog had been shot multiple times."

They landed at Dargaville Hospital, where they waited as the dog was rushed from the local vet where he had been stabilised for flight and blood had been sourced for a transfusion.

The dog, sedated on its side on an animal stretcher, was carried to the helicopter's crowded fuselage five minutes after they had landed.

"There was no time for a rundown of injuries, I just had to rely on the information the paramedic was getting on the flight."

It was a 30-minute journey to Unitec in Mt Albert, Auckland for specialist veterinary treatment.

"There was so much to do in that time," she said.

Kamo vet Sandra Murray says helping the injured police dog was a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity. Photo / Tania Whyte

Halfway through the flight, the dog's blood pressure dropped and Murray hooked up a catheter that delivered a life-saving blood transfusion through a special fluid line.

Murray reflected: "Treating an animal sitting down is strange - there isn't a lot of room."

In the confined space, every person around the dog was a necessary asset and was instructed to help.

The mood of the flight was sombre, Murray said: "You could see the emotion on the handler's face and just the concern he had for his partner."

They touched down in Auckland, the dog was unloaded and a quick-fire handover between vets occurred.

Then the whirlwind stilled. Murray's training had her starting to tidy up. "It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For the sake of the dog, I hope it is."

The flight back allowed Murray the chance to admire the view she'd not even glimpsed on the journey to Auckland.

At 12.40pm she was back in the clinic. A puppy was brought through the clinic doors and life returned to normal.

"It could've been anybody from the clinic or any other vet. But for some reason that day it was me. It's hard to explain the mixture of emotions ... but wow, what a feeling."

The police yesterday revealed the dog was now resting at home. "Our dog is being well and truly spoiled by his handler and family."

A 30-year-old man has been accused of using a firearm against a law enforcement officer on December 1, injuring a police dog, and unlawful possession of a .357 magnum pistol and ammunition. The most serious charge - discharging a firearm against a police officer - carries a maximum possible penalty of 14 years' imprisonment.