Washington County K-9 officers receive triage kits to treat medical emergencies
The K-9 officers of several Washington County law enforcement agencies were given triage kits Wednesday to help treat their dogs in the event of a medical emergency.
The packs came courtesy of the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team, the Washington County Department of Public Safety, Eighty Four Agway, Canon Hill Veterinary Clinic and Garrow Canine Training.
“Where this came from was there was an incident where a dog had exposure to an unknown substance, and it kind of raised questions within the county,” said Ed Childers, the coordinator of the Washington County Animal Response Team, during a presentation at Eighty Four Agway.
Included in the kits are Narcan, a K-9 tourniquet, thermometer, hydrogen peroxide, gauze, bandages and a K-9 stretcher.
Backpacks containing the materials were given to officers from North Strabane, Cecil Township, Monongahela, and South Strabane police departments. Washington County Sheriff deputies also received the emergency kits.
Childers gave credit to Canon Hill Veterinary Clinic for determining what the kits should contain.
“So for us to do this, we needed professional assistance. Certainly, we’re not the medical experts and that’s what we really needed to make sure that the dogs get the right care at the right time,” Childers said.
Brianna Chilleo, clinical supervisor at Canon Hill, said getting these kits into the hands of police officers has been a “life-long dream” of hers.
“So essentially, we have all of this education for our officers when it comes to people, but we really don’t take the time to be able to educate how to take care of their animals,” Chilleo said.
She added that she felt it was a way to be able to give back to the community to help K-9 officers take good care of their dogs.
“It’s really cool to see. It brings a smile to our faces to see that it’s coming to fruition, you know, everything that we worked really hard for for these guys, and they work just as hard for us,” Chilleo said.