A North Haven police dog was badly injured while helping to investigate a hit-and-run in New Haven on Monday night.
The K9, Zeus, badly injured one of his back legs while searching for a driver who fled the scene after a crash that sent a car into a body of water, according to police.
The dog went through surgery at Central Animal Hospital and is expected to be out of service for several weeks while he heals from this injury.
North Haven Police said they started investigating at 6:45 p.m. on Monday when New Haven police asked for help to find the driver of a black BMW who had collided with a vehicle, causing the victim’s car to go off the road and land in water, police said.
The driver of the BMW fled, heading north on Interstate 91 with one tire deflated, police said, and the last report of a sighting was from a witness who reported seeing the vehicle leaving the highway and heading onto Montowese Avenue in North Haven, according to police.
Officers searched the Montowese area and found the unoccupied BMW on Quinnipiac Avenue, near Moulthroup Street, police said.
Officer Brennan and Zeus responded and the dog traced the scent of the driver through a residential area. While going over a metal fence, Zeus suffered a serious injury to his rear leg and was transported to the animal hospital, where he underwent surgery.
