Lynwood Police Dog Set To Undergo Surgery After Spinal Injury, Successful Fundraiser
LYNWOOD, Ill. (CBS) -- A suburban police officer is set for surgery on Monday morning – and it's no ordinary cop.
The Lynwood police K9 officer named Dante got hurt after playing catch with his handler, Officer Tambrini. On Friday, Tambrini threw Dante's ball and it bounced off the ground sideways into some park equipment.
Dante was so focused on the ball that he ran into some park equipment. He injured his vertebrae and was in such pain that he could not walk, police said.
Dante was rushed to North Central veterinary emergency center in Highland, Indiana for treatment and X-rays, and police learned he would need a CT scan or MRI to determine if there was a severe spinal injury.
There was bad news when Dante was transferred to Midwest Animal Hospital in Orland Park. His number two and three vertebrae had compressed and were putting pressure on his spinal cord, and he needed to undergo spinal surgery or risk paralysis.
The Lynwood Police Department did not have the money for the surgery – which amounted to $10,000 just for the operation alone.
But a nonprofit organization set up a GoFundMe that as of late Sunday had already kicked in more than $16,000 to help cover Dante's medical bills.
