35 Local Officers Receive Emergency Training For K-9s

Thirty-five police officers on the Central Coast now have the training they need to protect their canines.

On Wednesday in Del Rey Oaks, officers learned how to perform animal CPR, splinting and bandaging.

In fact, Soledad’s police K-9 Leco was saved by his handler a few months ago after severing an artery and tendon in his leg over the holidays.
“If they’re injured, their handlers are their first line of stabilization before they can get to our facility. For example, Leco would have likely died had he not been appropriately triaged by the skills that were taught in the course,” said Greg Marsolais, pet specialist for Pet Specialists of Monterey, Inc.

Everyone at the training was a volunteer.

Trauma kits were offered at no charge to officers.

To learn more about Cover Your K-9, visit www.coveryourk9.org