Sacramento K9 Bodie Continues On Road To Recovery
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Bodie the police dog was shot a month ago during a chase in Sacramento. Monday his partner gave an update on his continued improvement.
Bodie was shot through his left paw and twice in his jaw during that stolen car chase. Since then, his partner has spent every night by his side, hoping for a full recovery.
Bodie is Sacramento Police Officer Randy Van Dusen's partner on the job, but he's also part of his family.
"I never thought it would turn out this well," Van Dusen said. "I get a little emotional about it. I never thought he would recover this quick."
Since a suspect shot Bodie last month, the German shepherd has been off the streets except for a few community events.
"He's in great spirits," Van Dusen said. "Any time he's around kids, he's so much more at ease. I think it's therapeutic for him."
But the road to recovery has been hard for Bodie. His leg has been in a cast, which makes it hard to walk, and at one point doctors thought they would have to wire his jaw shut.
"We will put a plate inside of it, a stainless steel plate, to keep him from moving his jaw from side to side," Van Dusen said.
Last month, Van Dusen and Bodie were chasing a stolen car suspect in the Land Park area when police say the suspect shot Bodie. Van Dusen fired back, killing the man. Bodie suffered major blood loss before he reached the veterinary center for emergency surgeries.
While Bodie is trained to do whatever his partner tells him, now it's Van Dusen who has had to cater to Bodie's needs.
"I'm his chauffeur now, getting him to all his vet appointments, feed him with a spatula, get him through this," Van Dusen said.
But, you won't hear any complaints.
"I get my strength seeing the strength in him," Van Dusen said. "As strong as he's been through this whole thing is amazing to me."
It'll be about six weeks before Bodie gets his cast off and it's still not known if he'll be able to work the streets again.
