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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.

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Regan McCarthy covers healthcare and government in Tallahassee, Florida. She is the Assistant News Director for WFSU Public Media.

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

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