Wake Up Call
Est. Read Time: 5 Mins.
The Morning
“Ri, wake up.”
Instinctively, I turn to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock, but nothing is beeping. Is everything alright?
I turn over and open my eyes wide enough to see that it’s still pitch-black outside. The only source of light is being cast from a lonely streetlamp across the lane and my wife’s backlit phone pointed skyward to the ceiling.
“We still have some time, Jess”, I say, half mumbling into my pillow, “I’ll be up in a moment.”
“No, you need to wake up now,” she says with more force.
“We got a save.”
Upon hearing those words, my heart jumps out of my chest and into my throat while a surge of adrenalin courses through my veins. I know exactly what she means. I toss the covers off my body, no longer able to sleep, and peer over Jess’s shoulder into her phone.
“Oh my God. What the hell happened?”
The Battle
The sirens are blasting as multiple cruiser cars chase after a runaway truck. The stolen vehicle has been barreling through the city at breakneck speeds and is moving rapidly toward the city limits. The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) has funneled the suspect to a road with tire deflation devices ready to end the chase.
But the suspect notices the trap and swerves at the last moment to evade it. Instead, he goes plummeting into the ditch on the side of the road. The driver’s side door swings open and he takes off running into the untouched knee-deep snow.
One of the teams on site is the K9 Unit with PSD Oliver, the newest dog on the team. So new in fact, that he received his custom-fit Patrol Swat Vest no less than 2 months prior. He’s already had a few captures under his belt and is starting to develop into a major asset for the SPS.
The suspect continues to flee, and Oliver is immediately deployed. With the head start given, the dog is the best option to catch up to the suspect.
Oliver is barreling through the snow and is gaining ground rapidly when suddenly, the suspect stops dead in his tracks and turns around to stare the dog directly in the eyes.
This man is not looking to surrender.
He’s challenging the dog and preparing to fight.
PSD Oliver - Ready for work in his Patrol Swat Vest
Oliver is now within striking distance of the suspect. His legs load in preparation to launch and impact is now imminent.
3…2…1…
BOOM. Target acquired.
Oliver is now supplanted firmly on the man, but even with all the force applied, the man refuses to go down. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changes.
A solitary fist raises up toward the heavens and is brought down repeatedly on Oliver’s face. Once, twice, three times…Oliver is taking shots to the head like a prize fighter, but he too refuses to give up.
Here’s the thing with police dogs: They are programed to win, and in the game of life and death, they like to win at all costs. The more that Oliver was hit, the more determined he became. Give up? Not likely. Oliver wasn’t going anywhere.
Even still, it looked like Oliver was slowly losing his grip. The man was striking and flailing, until finally it appeared that Oliver ripped his arm clean off. The thick padding from the man’s jacket was acting as a pseudo bite suit, minimizing the pressure to the suspect. Oliver spit out the sleeve of the man’s jacket and proceeded to engage the suspect once again.
As the officers began to close in on the battle, a horrific realization quickly set in.
Basking in the moonlight with all the putrid luster of a rusty metal dust bucket, was an object in the man’s clenched fist.
He was not punching the dog.
He was stabbing him. Repeatedly.
Like chipping off ice from a large block for cocktails, the suspect brought down the knife on Oliver’s spine to try to shake him loose. Once, twice, three times…
It did nothing.
Oliver continued to hang on. With every second that passed, it was another opportunity for the suspect to get another shot in. If Oliver went down, the officers were next in line to fight.
The officers are now just about to reach the suspect. They are a mere 5 steps away, when he turns and does the unthinkable.
He pitches the knife into the snow in a final act of defeat. Oliver continues his hold until the officers make contact and safely arrest the man.
The struggle is officially over and the suspect is taken into custody.
The winner, and champion, by virtue of submission.
PSD Oliver.
The Aftermath
Oliver was rushed to the emergency animal hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries to his muzzle and cheek. He’s expected to make a full recovery and will be back at work within the next couple of weeks once the stitches heal.
It was discovered that his dog body armor was stabbed multiple times right between the neck and the spine. The Patrol Swat Vest showed virtually no signs of damage, with what looked like minor scraps on the outer carrier. The ballistic panels beneath the carrier held strong and were not defeated in any way.
Oliver has our newest Patrol Swat Vest model. He was one of the first to use our brand new self-adjusting sizing kit and his vest’s panels are 40% lighter and 55% thinner than anything we’ve ever produced. Their stopping power is unrivaled.
Ultimately though, the credit belongs to Oliver’s handler and the entire SPS for saving his life. They choose to work in their Patrol Swat Vests during all calls and they invested the time and money necessary to fully protect their dogs from harm. I had an opportunity to speak directly with the team leader who said “this one save paid for the entire cost of the order and then some. The vests, the Intruder…everything. You can’t just replace the loss of a dog.”
Simply put, Oliver would likely be dead if he weren’t working in his Patrol Swat Vest. A knife plunged deep into the spine or vital organs surrounding it is not something that is easy to survive.
In the end, no funeral is needed. No massive outpouring of support from fellow officers or the community is required. There are no tears of regret to be shed or sleepless nights for those involved. Oliver and all the officers go back to their families alive and ready to live another day.
They can close this chapter, turn the page, and get back to work; however, it’s a sobering reminder that this job is dangerous as hell. You can’t predict when your dog is going to be attacked, which is why they deserve to be ready in the event that they are.
We are thankful to have helped Oliver do his job and come home safely. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning, literally.