Both Caesar and his handler have recovered from injuries received during an alleged burglary in Northland.
Caesar was injured just two weeks after being trained in Trentham. Photo: Supplied
The police dog who was stabbed in the head by an alleged burglar in Whangārei has been given the all-clear to return to duty.
Twenty-month-old Caesar was stabbed twice after a Parua Bay resident found an unknown man in the house armed with a knife on 22 December.
The man was still there when police arrived and Caesar was stabbed while three officers were trying to arrest him.
Caesar will return to assist with police work in Northland from tomorrow. Photo: Supplied
Police said in a statement that results from a CT scan show that, despite suffering two skull fractures, there was no permanent damage around Caesar's eye.
His handler, Constable Josh Van Der Kwaak, also received minor injuries but, after being put through their paces in a training session on Friday, both were cleared to return to work tomorrow.
The pair graduated from the Dog Training Centre in Trentham on 6 December and had only been operational together for a couple of weeks.
Northland district commander Superintendent Tony Hill extended his thanks to the veterinarian who assisted Caesar and his handler.
He said the service was "simply outstanding".
Mr Hill said he would also like to acknowledge the victim of the original burglary complaint, who assisted Constable Van Der Kwaak after Caesar was stabbed.
A 30-year-old man faces charges of burglary and injuring a police dog in relation to the incident.
