Suspect pulls Uno Reverse card and bites police dog during arrest

On September 3 in West Haven, Connecticut, the West Haven Police Department’s canine unit responded to a call from state police to help with a motor vehicle stop on Interstate 95. The stop was due to the erratic driving of the suspect, who became combative and tried to escape on foot, unlike this concertgoer who stole an ambulance as a getaway vehicle.

One brave member of the WHPD unit that arrived to assist state police was K-9 Ado. Ado was deployed to help and was a key reason that the officers were able to apprehend the suspect, but not before he tried to get out of Ado’s grip and continue his escape by biting the dog’s leg.

K-9 Ado sustained no visible injuries

Despite being bitten, Ado kept his grip on the suspect, thanks to his eight years of experience in law enforcement and rigorous training. After the suspect was in cuffs, Ado was taken and evaluated for injuries, and luckily he sustained none that were visible. His training and ability to hold onto a combative suspect was also key in keeping the officers taking part in the arrest uninjured, which can’t be said for this car owner who was punched after a Florida woman crashed her car into theirs.

The identity of the suspect hasn’t been released.

K-9 law enforcement training is older than you might think

Ado’s ability is the result of rigorous training, but you might not know that the history of using dogs in law enforcement and military capacities dates back to the 400s BC when Xerxes used dogs for their loyalty and sense of smell during his invasion of Greece.

Hundreds of years later during the 19th century, Belgium developed formal training programs for police dogs because the city of Ghent had a shortage of officers, and the solution was to supplement their police force with canines. This was the first documented instance of structured police training for canine units.

Now in the present day, canine units are regularly used for police work in various capacities, such as patrols or detection work. Certain breeds are better for specific jobs than others, such as German Shepherds like Ado, a breed known for their loyalty, strength, and intelligence.

As a patrol dog, Ado’s training would’ve focused on apprehending suspects and maintaining public safety, and Ado demonstrated his ability to complete both tasks during Thursday’s arrest. He was crucial in apprehending the suspect, and his ability to complete this task kept the people around him safe while dealing with a potentially violent suspect.

While Ado likely didn’t have training regarding what to do when he was the one being bitten, he was able to use his training to keep a grip and was thankfully uninjured by this sudden role reversal by the suspect.

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