Oct. 24, 2021 8:05p
(WGTD)---K-9 Riggs received a hero’s welcome home Sunday. Riggs is the police dog who was shot in the forehead while tripping up a homicide suspect in Bristol last Thursday.
His partner—Deputy Terry Tifft—spoke to reporters following a brief ceremony in the city park near where they live. "When I first saw that he was shot, he took off running like any animal would do. I got control of him and put him in the back of my car...he was scared...I don't remember...I just flew to the vet,' Tifft said.
Tifft said he was humbled by the care and concern that both he and Riggs were shown, and by the turnout of supporters in Clausen Park Sunday following a police and fire truck escort home from the Illinois trauma center where Riggs was treated. "Everybody has been so good," he said. "It's made this process as hard as it is manageable."
Tifft said at first he thought his dog’s injuries were a lot more severe than what they actually were. The bullet went through the upper portion of the dog's head and exited. The bullet hole was visible Sunday. Other than that, Riggs, in his appearance at the park, seemed a bit tired at times but otherwise appeared to be fine, posing for photos and hanging out with Tifft in the park for a half-hour.
The two have been working together for the past seven years. Tifft says Riggs will be off duty for at least three months, then a decision will be made on whether he should return to work. Tifft says that while he’d like to team up with Riggs for a little while longer, the eight-year-old K-9 is old enough to retire.
The large crowd at the park included officers in dress uniforms, several of Riggs' four-legged co-workers, people who initially treated Riggs at a Paddock Lake animal hospital and a fly-over from Flight For Life.
Kenosha County Sheriff Dave Beth last week called Riggs a hero who possibly saved lives as the armed suspect ran out to possibly confront motorists on Highway 50 after refusing commands to stop.
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