A wounded Arkansas police K-9 that went missing during a shooting that killed a sheriff’s deputy has been found alive after a two-day search.
Kina, a German shepherd who is a four-year veteran of the Greenwood Police Department, was found suffering two bullet wounds and mild dehydration Friday, authorities said.
She disappeared after a shooting Wednesday that killed Sebastian County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Cooper.
The former Marine served 15 years with the sheriff’s department and five years with the Fort Smith police department, the sheriff’s department said. Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells was also wounded in the shooting, which led to one man’s arrest.
After the shooting, police announced that a patrol car Kina had been sitting in was riddled with bullets from the day’s violence. When officers inspected the car, they found some blood inside but the dog gone.
“We are unsure of the extent of her injuries, but she cannot be located at this time. Members are out searching for her still,” the police department said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
David Archer, who lives a few miles from the scene of Wednesday’s shooting, said once he heard the news, he immediately had a feeling that Kina may be nearby. Fortunately for everyone, he was right.
The wounded K-9 had run onto his property. After Archer spotted the dog and called 911, he was rewarded with an endearing reunion between Kina and her handler, KNWA-News reported.
“As soon as he walked into the yard, he yelled for that dog, and that dog came running to him like a lost puppy to his owner or something. I mean, them too had a great reunion,” Archer told the local news station.
By Saturday, Kina was photographed recovering like a queen, lying on a new bed in front of a table piled high with donated dog toys and treats. The photo was posted along with a Facebook update from a local veterinarian who reported that she’s “doing very well.”
“Her appetite is great. She has gotten needed rest and has gained three pounds of body weight from her food and water,” the vet said.
Greenwood police are meanwhile raising money to help pay off her veterinarian bills and purchase GPS outfitting and a K-9 car kennel. As of Sunday, a GoFundMe account set up by the department has about $800 raised of a $10,000 goal.
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