Nero the police dog.Photo: Barnstable Police K9 Foundation
Titled “Nero’s Law,” bill S.1431 is named after pooch Nero, who was seriously injured in (but survived) a 2018 shooting that tragically took the life of his human partner, Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon.
If passed into law, the legislation would “allow humane transportation of K9 partners,” including service dogs, accelerant-detection dogs and search-and-rescue dogs.
Thebill goes on to explainwhat would be allowed for canines under EMS care, including “opening and manually maintaining an airway,” “giving mouth-to-snout or mouth-to-barrier ventilation,” “administering oxygen” and “immobilizing fractures.”
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Sgt. Sean Gannon.Facebook
“An EMS provider may require a member of the law enforcement department or agency accompany the police dog during transport,” it notes.
“Instead, Nero had to wait nearly four hours before a retired K9 police officer could arrive on scene to retrieve Nero and help with his injuries before he was driven to the emergency veterinary hospital,” the group adds.
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Xiarhos — who was Gannon’s deputy police chief at the time of his death — called for the bill’s passage on Monday to mark the third anniversary of his partner’s death.
“K9 Nero never gave up trying to protect his fallen hero. Now it is time for us to fight for him and all the devoted police dogs across our Commonwealth who serve and protect their handlers and all of us, now and for generations to come,” the lawmaker added.
source: people.com
