Police dog Oliver stabbed, seriously injured chasing suspects

A Saskatoon police service dog is recovering from serious injuries after being stabbed several times following a chase Wednesday.

Around 10 a.m., police spotted a suspicious truck at Avenue W and 33rd Street. They were unable to pull over the GMC Sierra when it sped away, according to a police news release.

The truck, later discovered to be stolen, was spotted a few minutes later travelling northwest of the city near Highway 16 and Dalmeny.

People inside the truck were throwing items out the windows. The driver also tried to ram patrol vehicles.

The truck managed to avoid a spike belt laid down by officers but eventually got stuck in snow.

After the suspects fled on foot, the canine team found the driver in deep snow where he stabbed Oliver multiple times with a knife.

Police called the attack “a solemn reminder of the dangers of policing to both our human and K9 members” in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.

“Thankfully, the kevlar vest that he was wearing at the time prevented further serious injury or death,” a post on the Saskatoon Police Service Facebook page said.

Oliver was undergoing surgery Wednesday afternoon. In a media release, police thanked the staff at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine for treating Oliver.

The 32-year-old driver of the vehicle is facing numerous charges, including possession of a dangerous weapon, dangerous driving and a charge under Section 445 of the Criminal Code called Quanto’s Law, which prohibits the killing or wounding of animals that have been trained and are being used to help law enforcement officers.

That offence carries a mandatory minimum six-month prison term.

A 31-year-old woman was also taken into custody. Police did not say if she was facing charges.