The Florence Police Department held a training session Tuesday to teach officers how to care for their K-9 partners after Alabama passed the Lakyn Canine Act in 2024, effective October 1, 2024.

The law allows ambulance crews to treat and transport injured police dogs in a manner similar to human patients, and local agencies are moving to adapt procedures and training to reflect that change. The department’s session focused on on-scene care and coordination with ambulance crews, including medflight services. Typical medical treatments for injured police dogs by EMS in the field include basic life support (BLS) such as hemorrhage control with hemostatic dressings and pressure bandages, and airway management, highlighting the urgency of these training initiatives.

Florence K-9 Police Officer Bryant Letsinger, whose partner is named Jett, described the bond between handlers and their dogs. “These dogs, they’re our partners, but they also become our best friends. These dogs live with us daily, and we truly rely on these dogs and expect these dogs to get us home safe at the end of the day,” Letsinger said.

The training was aimed at practical steps officers can take when a K-9 is injured and emergency medical services are en route. It included scenarios for preparing a dog for transport and working with medflight units, reflecting the statute’s authorization for EMS crews to provide care and transport for injured police dogs when appropriate. Care and treatment of police dogs varies across U.S. states primarily through differences in laws mandating emergency medical services (EMS) access, veterinary care availability, and specialized programs; Alabama’s recent legislation sets a new standard for K-9 care in emergency situations. How does the care and treatment of police dogs vary across different states?

Letsinger stressed the personal dimension of the work. “So they’re our partners, but at the end of the day, they end up becoming like part of our families,” he said, adding that the new law helps remove legal uncertainty for crews rendering aid. “Police dogs deserve this level of care without having to worry about liability,” Letsinger said, exemplifying the shift towards a more supportive framework for K-9 welfare.

The department’s instruction followed state action earlier in October 2025 that clarified EMS authority to deliver emergency care to police K-9s and to transport them in ambulances when circumstances allow. Local reporting on the law’s passage summarized its practical effects for officers and emergency responders; one such account appears at ABC3340.

Training that pairs law enforcement handlers with EMS crews is consistent with established guidelines for tactical and canine combat casualty care, which outline basic and advanced interventions that can stabilize an injured working dog prior to or during transport. Material addressing those clinical steps is available through resources such as Allogy’s K9TCCC guidance, which informed portions of the department’s scenario work.

Florence’s session emphasized coordination: how officers secure and comfort a wounded K-9, how to package an animal for safe movement, and how to hand off care to EMS and medflight personnel. Department leaders said the training was intended to make those transitions smoother when seconds count.

Officer Letsinger’s remarks framed the policy change as both operational and personal. He spoke about relying on K-9 partners every shift and welcomed a framework that supports rapid medical response for dogs injured in the line of duty, reinforcing the commitment to the health and safety of these dedicated animals.

Source

Original reporting: view the original article.