Dog News

Jaris is back to work and happy to be there

by ADMIN

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A few weeks ago you heard the heartbreaking story of Jaris, a police dog that was thrown out of a 2 storey window by a parolee who was being pursued by police.  Miraculously he survived the fall but sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital.  Now he is back on his feet and back at work chasing down suspects with his team.  “He has a clean bill of health, and he is back to full duty,” Lt. Gary Aulis said.

The 6½-year-old Belgian Malinois was sent into a room where Bryan Bills was refusing to surrender to police.  As he charged toward Bills, the suspect used his momentum to heave him out the window and Jaris helplessly fell to the ground.  “Jaris was not able to stop himself and fell to the concrete below,” said police.  When Jaris got up after his fall he was bleeding from his nose and staggering.

Incredibly his injuries were not life threatening but suffered cuts to the nose and head and now, just 3 weeks later he is back on the job.  He also suffered temporary nerve damage in an area between his brain and sinuses.

The Fontana, California police dog was called back into service last weekend to help search for explosives and is as good as new after his harrowing experience.  Jaris and his handler, Officer Steve Bechtold, worked during the Long Beach Grand Prix on Saturday and the Run Through Redlands on Sunday.  Bomb sniffing dogs were in high demand after last weeks bombing at the Boston Marathon.

The suspect who injured Jaris, Bryan Bills, continued to resist arrest, fighting with police.  When he was finally caught was arrested on suspicion of parole violations, resisting arrest and intentional injury to a police dog.  He pleaded guilty to one count of each charge and is scheduled to be sentenced May 10, according to court records.