© 2023 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations

Florida Lawmakers Push To Get Police Dogs Faster Emergency Care

A German Shepard dog in a police vest is lunging at a man wearing protective equipment for police dog training.
Photo by Jason Jarrach on Unsplash
/
A bill under consideration in the Florida legislature could pave the way to getting police dogs faster care in an emergency.

When a police dog is injured on the job, Florida lawmakers want to ensure the animal can get care as quickly as possible.

Sen. Tom Wright (R-Port Orange) is sponsoring a measure to help them get medical care more quickly. He's a former police K-9 officer.

“This bill is intended to save the lives of our officers whether they’re two-legged or four-legged,” Wright says.

Under the measure, EMS workers would be allowed to offer medical aid to try to help an injured police K-9 and could use an ambulance to transport the dog to an emergency vet—as long as there are no people who need access to the ambulance first.

Follow @Regan_McCarthy

Regan McCarthy is the Assistant News Director for WFSU Public Media. Before coming to Tallahassee, Regan graduated with honors from Indiana University’s Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. She worked for several years for NPR member station WFIU in Bloomington, Ind., where she covered local and state government and produced feature and community stories.

Phone: (850) 645-6090 | rmccarthy@fsu.edu

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories here.