Specialized training for emergency K9 care under Nero's Law at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton - WCVB Boston

NORTH GRAFTON, Mass. —

Emergency medical responders may soon begin training on how to administer lifesaving medical attention to law enforcement K9s if they are injured in the line of duty after Nero’s Bill was signed into law.

Nero's Law is in response to the 2018 shooting that claimed the life of Yarmouth Police K9 Sgt. Sean Gannon, a New Bedford native, and severely injured his K9 partner, Nero.

DA: Sgt. Sean Gannon shot by suspect lurking behind attic insulation

At Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton, a working dog mannequin named Diesel, a Belgian Malinois, is currently helping train students.

“So, it bleeds, it breathes, it has pulses, so you can do pulse checks. You can teach handlers where to find the femoral pulse, you can look at respiratory rates,” said Dr. Sean Majoy.

Majoy, a veteran who returned from serving in Afghanistan in March and is a clinical assistant professor at Tufts, hopes that EMTs will soon get to learn lifesaving techniques, as well.

Police: K-9 Nero, wounded in shooting, 'getting stronger by the day'

“Let’s say a dog gets stabbed in the chest and there’s a lot of bleeding, you can practice placing needle decompressions if you can simulate a collapsed lung,” he said.

Nero's Law authorizes emergency medical service personnel to provide emergency treatment and transport of K9 partners, including basic first aid, CPR and administering lifesaving interventions such as naloxone.

State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, deputy police chief in Yarmouth at the time of Gannon’s death and Nero’s injury, was instrumental in bringing the bill to fruition and hopes it will be enacted in other states.

'Four-legged hero': Fallen officer's K-9 Nero on his feet

“It took a tragedy. We turned it into triumph. And I ask everyone remember Sean Gannon. You know, I keep his picture with me all the time, and I keep Nero with me all the time, everywhere I go. And I’ll always do that, as long as I live,” he said.

Though there is no specific timetable yet for EMTs to begin working at Tufts, plans are in the works.

source: https://www.wcvb.com/article/specialized-training-for-emergency-k-9-care-under-nero-s-law/39136398

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.