Massachusetts bill would let EMTs treat injured police dogs

BOSTON (WLNE/AP) – First responders would be allowed to treat and transport injured police dogs to veterinary hospitals under a proposal being considered by Massachusetts lawmakers.

First responders would be allowed to treat and transport injured police dogs to veterinary hospitals under a proposal being considered by Massachusetts lawmakers.     

Nero’s bill, named for the K9 partner of slain Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon, was heard Thursday by the Legislature’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.     

Gannon was fatally shot last year while serving an arrest warrant. Nero was also shot, but because of current state law, EMTs weren’t allowed to treat or transport him.   

A retired K9 officer eventually arrived to help Nero, who survived.     

The legislation sponsored by Republican Rep. Will Crocker and Democratic Sen. Mark Montigny would permit emergency personnel to treat injured police dogs and bring them to veterinary facilities, as long as there are no injured people still requiring a hospital transport.

Testimony Thursday in Boston had members of the law enforcement community and Sgt. Gannon’s family testifying before lawmakers.

According to our Boston affiliate WCVB, the fallen officer’s mother, Denise Gannon, held up two pictures. The first one was of her son and Nero, and the second was an injured Nero.

 “If Sean would have seen that, as any K9 officer would, he would have been devastated because they live not only as working partners but as their family members,” Denise Gannon said. “I would ask each one of you, as members of the committee, who would you leave in your family, in that state, for hours without being attended immediately? This is something we can fix. There are things that happened that can’t change, but we can change this.”

Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson also testified at the hearing, WCVB reported.

“You’re in a position where you have to legislate common sense, so all I can ask you is to move this as quickly as you can and get it done,” he said. “You will make a lot of people happy. The support in the public is unbelievable. You will all look good by doing what is right.”

As the law stands right now, EMS cannot transport K9 cops to emergency vets, and Attleboro District Fire Chief Allan Murrant said he supports a bill that would let them do whatever it takes to save an officer.

“The officer and the K9 develop a bond. That’s their partner,” he said.

Murrant added that the department is already prepared to take care of animals, as the MSPCA donated oxygen masks specifically for dogs and cats, but under current law, that’s about all they could do.

“We would render aid as best we could. We could not transport,” he said. “Anything we can do to help the K9 we’ll do.”

This story contains information from the Associated Press