The vast majority of PennSTAR’s rescues are human … but not all. Earlier this year, the team helped a Delaware State Police K9 who had been injured in an automobile accident get the help he needed.
It all started when a Delaware State Trooper pulled over to help a disabled vehicle. His canine Tomi, a patrol and narcotics dog, was in his crate in the car. While the officer was talking with the driver of the vehicle, another car struck the police car, which pushed it into the stopped car. Tomi was thrown against the crate and suffered injuries. A local vet stabilized the dog but he needed to be brought to Penn’s veterinary hospital.
A call went out to the PennSTAR communications center. The Delaware State Police could fly Tomi to HUP’s helipad but could PennSTAR transport the dog to the Penn’s Veterinary Hospital? “Absolutely,” said Bob Higgins, director of PennSTAR, when he heard the request. They’d use the PennSTAR ambulance to transport both Tomi and the state trooper (his handler).
Like clockwork, when the helicopter landed, Tomi was placed on a litter and brought to the ambulance, with his handler of the last six years at his side. Then, with a Penn Police escort, they were quickly transported to the Veterinary hospital.
Tomi spent two days at the vet hospital and has spent the last several weeks recovering at home, his handler said. He’s taking it slow for now, but is expected to return to full duty this month.
“A lot of people were involved in making this work and it was a great outcome,” Higgins said.