WOODWAY, Texas — In light of the Woodway Public Safety Department announcing that its own K9 Shaka was nominated for the Aftermath K9 Grant, the police department revealed that the dog was bitten by a rattlesnake while trying to protect her owner.
Despite the surprise attack, Shaka is expected to make a full recovery, the police department said in a Facebook post on Friday.
According to the post, Shaka was protecting her owner Officer Joshua Hillard When she was attacked by a rattlesnake and bitten twice.
Shaka discovered, what was described on the post as "an approximately 3-foot rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike."
After trying to protect Hillard, the snake bit the police dog twice on her snout.
The dog was immediately rushed to the Waco Animal Emergency Clinic and given anti-venom. Friday morning, she was then taken to the South Bosque Veterinary Clinic for monitoring.
This comes after a series of highs and lows for the K9 detective, as written on Facebook by the WPSD. Shaka recently won her 18-month battle against Idiopathic Anemia in 2020.
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Due to her described strength and resilience, the police department nominated her for the Aftermath K9 Grant.
The grant goes to the K9 that receives the most votes on social media. You can vote by clicking here.
Aftermath, a crime scene and biohazard cleanup company, will give away $25,000 in grants. The ten grants will be given to the most deserving police K9s.
Voting started Oct. 20 and ends Oct. 26.