Izzy the police dog gets his surgery

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LONGMONT - In the spring of last year, Longmont Police Det. Bruce Vaughan found himself in pursuit of an armed kidnapping suspect. When the suspect took off on foot after crashing his car near Highway 66 and Weld County Road 3, Vaughan turned to his partner, Izzy the police dog.

"I deployed Izzy to go after him," said Vaughan. "In the middle of Highway 66, Izzy bit his right ankle at full stride. He planted that foot and turned around and started hitting Izzy and flipped him (the dog) onto his back."

Izzy eventually ran the suspect down again in a nearby field, but the damage was done. Izzy suffered a serious spinal injury from his tussle with the suspect. For his efforts to capture the suspect, Izzy was honored by the city of Longmont with the Distinguished Service Medal and retired.

Since then, Izzy's condition has deteriorated to the point where he would soon be unable to walk and needed surgery to save his life. The problem was the price tag. His partner and now owner, Vaughan was looking at a $6,000 medical bill.

Fellow police officers in Longmont began a fund to help pay for surgery. They provided seed money in the form of $500 and asked the community to help.

Help came quickly.

Within days, members of the Flatirons Kennel Club pledged to cover the full amount for Izzy's surgery. Individual members of the community have donated as well.

For Vaughan, the response has been overwhelming.

"I was speechless. People wrote letters with their donations wishing the dog the best, praying for the dog. It was overwhelming to see that much support," he said.

Because of the support from the community, Izzy was able to have his surgery at the Aspen Meadow Veterinary Clinic in Longmont. The surgery took a little more than an hour and Dr. Matthew Rooney says he is optimistic for Izzy's recovery.

"You know we're not performing heroics, but I think we can improve the quality of life," said Rooney.

Vaughan's hopes for Izzy are simple.

"I hope that by spring, he's out running in the back yard having a good time," he said.

Any funds donated above what are needed for Izzy's surgery will be held and used to provide for the medical needs of other police dogs in Longmont. While Izzy will not be working as a police dog in Longmont, the city will be getting two new dogs in the coming weeks.