After shooting, K9 comes back to work

BROOKSVILLE - Just two weeks after being shot in the mouth, back and shoulder, Kilo, a 5-year old German Shepherd is back on the job at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Wednesday, Kilo showed little sign of his close call. He was shot on the night of August 4th when a suspect refused to surrender after taking a shot at a Brooksville police officer.

The man was hiding under several boxes and a tarp.

"Kilo alerted on him, and went right in and grabbed him by the arm, and held him. And that's when the bad guy started shooting at Kilo," said Sheriff Richard Nugent.

Initially, Kilo's handler, Deputy Steve Miller, said he thought Kilo was fine.

He was "...barking trying to get back in there," Miller recalled. "Once I got him out of there, I saw the blood in his mouth."

The suspected gunman, Keith Ritchie, was killed during the shootout. Before returning to work Wednesday afternoon, Kilo was subjected to the repeated sounds of gun fire.

"He never missed a beat," according to Nugent.

Ironically, it's the humans who are still a little shaken by the shooting. Deputy Brandon Cox was training with his dog Ike the night he heard the call about the shooting.

"At the time, it was kind of nerve-wracking to know that the guys were getting shot at and a dog had been hit," Cox said.

Kilo likely survived being hit thanks to the bullet-proof vest he wears while on duty.

"This is one of the first saves with a K9 vest that we're aware of," Nugent said.

Kilo is one of four dogs on regular patrol with the Hernando Sheriff's Office.