Wis. Sheriff's Office K-9 Seriously Wounded in Exchange of Gunfire

A Wisconsin sheriff's office K-9 was seriously wounded in a shootout with a gunman that left the suspect dead over the weekend.

The incident happened just before 6 a.m. Saturday when Fond du Lac police and Fond du Lac County sheriff's deputies responded to a disturbance involving weapons, the sheriff's office stated in an online release. When law enforcement reached the scene, they confronted a man in a vehicle, and gunfire erupted between the suspect and a deputy.

A sheriff's office K-9 was seriously wounded in the exchange and rushed to a veterinary hospital in critical condition. The suspect also was shot in the incident, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The K-9 underwent "a lengthy surgery" Sunday and "is by no means out of the woods, but he’s a young, healthy, strong dog and his team of specialists are doing everything they can to help him," the sheriff's office stated in a social media post.

"He was awake and alert enough this morning to recognize his deputy handler, and he even got to spend a little time gnawing on his favorite toy (a tennis ball) before surgery," the post added.

The sheriff's office also recognized Dwyer, a dog owned by a veterinary technician at the hospital, for donating blood for the wounded K-9.

"The transfusion worked, and blood counts rose to levels needed to undergo this important surgery," the sheriff's office stated.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting.