REDDING, CA (KRCR/CNN) – Tarro was one of the first K-9s brought on when Lt. Brian Barner took over supervising the Redding Police Department.
He, along with Tarro’s handler, handpicked the dog almost 10 years ago.
Tarro is now retired and lives with his former partner. One day recently, a suspected burglar poisoned Tarro as he waited for his owner to get home from work.
"Time was of the essence. They got him in right away,” said Dr. Larry Correia, who works at VCA Asher Animal Hospital in Redding. “If it were a couple hours later, we don't know what would've happened."
Barner said the dog’s handler was shaken by the incident.
"That was his partner for six years, so he's very attached to that dog,” Barner said. “He had a lot of emotions, not only for the incident that happened at his house and the burglary, but on top of that, someone deliberately tried to poison his dog – his police dog."
Correia said the poisoning appears intentional.
“He was very wobbly, almost like he was drunk, and he was very twitchy,” Correia said. “So, we helped him get into the hospital to start evaluating him."
A reward for information leading to the capture of whoever poisoned Tarro has reached $20,000, thanks to an outpouring of support from a community shocked by the act.
"They're such an essential tool that we use. He's just a great dog,” Barner said. “It's like a friend, a family member. It's like one of our officers. So, when something like this happens, it really affects are entire department."
Tarro was 18 months old when he started serving the city of Redding.
He’s survived many life-threatening moments over his 10 years, besides this one.
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