Las Vegas police dog rushed into surgery after stabbing

A Las Vegas police dog was rushed into surgery Saturday morning after it was stabbed in the neck muliptle times while helping take a wanted man into custody during a barricade.

As of about 7 a.m., the patrol dog, Hunter, was recovering at a local animal hospital from serious injuries but was expected to survive, according to Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ken Nogle.

The man, who has not been identified, was arrested after the stabbing and is likely to face a charge of mistreatment of a police service animal in connection with Hunter’s attack.

Hunter, a Belgian Malinois, has been working since 2012 with his K-9 handler, Jeff Corbett.

Just before 12:30 a.m., a man climbed onto the roof of a business on the 7300 block of South Eastern Avenue, near East Warm Springs Road. It wasn’t clear why the man was on the roof, although Nogle said he did not appear to be suicidal.

When officers arrived, the man, who was armed with a knife, refused to come down from the roof, prompting assistance from Metro SWAT and K-9 units.

In early 2016, another Metro patrol dog, Nicky, was killed in the line of duty during what police at the time called a “running gunbattle” between four officers, including Nicky’s K-9 handler, and a double homicide suspect.

Nicky had just returned to duty less than a month prior to his death, after recovering from a machete attack in a standoff.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Reporter Julie Wootton-Greener contributed to this story.