A Hall County Sheriff's Office K9 is being hospitalized after an apparent spinal injury led to paralysis.
Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer B.J. Williams said K9 Timo, a Belgian Malinois, began showing signs of being in pain on Monday and was taken to a local veterinary clinic. That clinic reportedly told officials that Timo may require care beyond what they could provide.
"What happened later in that night is that paralysis began to set in," Williams said. "At that point, (Timo's handler) immediately contacted the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital, and the local vet agreed that that was the course of action, that Timo would need to be taken to UGA for possible surgery."
Williams said Timo is currently scheduled for surgery, adding that his prognosis is good. He was just weeks from retirement when his medical condition began, and Williams said that he will not return to work even if he fully recovers.
"There is a K9 set to take Timo's place, his name is K9 Dexter," Williams said. "There is not going to be any kind of gap in service."
Should Timo undergo surgery, the sheriff's office says it will be paid for by the Georgia Police K9 Foundation. The sheriff's office posted to social media Tuesday, offering a link for those who want to donate to that foundation.
"The Hall County Sheriff's Office has a veterinary budget, which would have taken care of the cost of K9 Timo's care one way or another," Williams said. "Would a 6 to $8 thousand surgery have taken a big bite out of that budget? It certainly would have, but Timo would have been taken care of either way...we just are simply giving people the option, if they want to, to help the K9 Foundation with what they do."
K9 Timo served in the sheriff's office for around seven years as a narcotics detection K9.
