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Titan on the mend, but future as a K9 officer remains uncertain

The St. Petersburg police dog was shot chasing a suspect on Friday morning.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg police K9 officer shot while chasing a suspect is expected to recover, but police remain unsure if he’ll ever return to service.

Titan was shot by the suspect early Friday morning and was rushed into emergency surgery.

Monday, police released video of Titan walking around outside and spending time with his human partner.

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“He is still on antibiotics and pain meds, but he looks like he’s out of the woods,” said police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez.  “We still have a lot of questions on whether he’ll be able to be a police dog again.”

Police say Titan’s wound included a bone fracture and other damage which could be difficult to fully recover from.   

“We feel like he’s recovering pretty well, but it’s going to be a while before we know for sure,” said Fernandez. “It could be up to 60 days before we know whether there was permanent damage to that leg.  

If Titan isn’t able to return to work, most likely he would be retired and spend the rest of his life with his handler and his family.   

The officer would also be assigned a new K9 to work with after a period of training and certification.

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