Police dog stabbed in throat saved with blood transfusion

Kosmo and handler Regan Turner. Photo/ supplied

A Canterbury police dog was stabbed in the throat while responding to a family harm incident last night.

Police say 4-year-old Kosmo is stable after receiving a blood transfusion from a fellow police dog after being seriously injured.

Kosmo suffered a 4cm cut to the throat, narrowly missing his carotid artery, while responding to the incident in Kaiapoi about 6.30pm.

The dog was flown by helicopter to a Christchurch 24-hour vet where he received the transfusion before being transferred to a Police vet this morning.

He was being monitored and may undergo exploratory surgery to check for internal damage.

Dog handler Constable Regan Turner said he was tracking an alleged offender through rural property when he deployed Kosmo.

"I knew when I got to the area and couldn't find him that something had happened. He doesn't run away from me. I knew he was lying somewhere, it was just a matter of getting to him," he says.

It took 20-25 minutes to eventually locate Kosmo and administer first aid.

"Kosmo had lost a lot of blood, I thought he was a gonner," Constable Turner said.

"The cut was to his jugular — he's very lucky to be alive.

"Kosmo's saved me on a few occasions and I can't thank him enough for what he did last night. It was either him or me, unfortunately."

A 29-year-old man from Christchurch was arrested at the scene and is due to appear in Christchurch District Court today on various charges.

Kosmo and Constable Turner feature in the current season of Dog Squad.