By ELEANOR BLACK
A Gisborne police dog's career may be over after he was stabbed in the eye.
Woolf, a 3 1/2-year-old German shepherd, had a 20cm chef's knife plunged into his left eye and down into his mouth after cornering a 32-year-old man in an alley on Saturday night.
Police say the man had unlawfully entered the Apostolic Son City Church in Lowe St, behind the police station, and tried to stab Woolf's handler, Constable Bill Eivers, before running into a nearby alley.
Constable Eivers, who was carrying a firearm, arrested the man as his dog lay on the ground beside him.
The man faces charges in the Gisborne District Court today.
Woolf's eye was removed yesterday and further surgery to stitch up his eye socket was planned. "There is considerable concern he will never work as a police dog again," said Inspector Bruce Blayney.
Woolf's injury has left only two police dogs working in Gisborne.
A fourth dog is in training.
Police dogs represented a significant investment in time and money, said Mr Blayney.
Woolf began training as a puppy and since graduating into fulltime service a year ago had done a good job.
But he was also a family dog and the attack had devastated Constable Eivers, his partner and their children.
Another Gisborne police dog, Rajah, was stabbed in 1998. He survived but was later retired.
Cornered man stabs police dog in eye
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