Rattlesnake Doesn't Stop St. Pete K9

The St. Petersburg K9 bit by a rattlesnake during a Thursday suspect chase is on the mend and going home.

“Officer Joe Lehmann reports that his K-9 partner Ajax is being released from the hospital this morning and will be brought back here to police headquarters,” the agency announced Friday morning.

Ajax and Lehmann were tracking a burglary suspect in the area of Inlet Bay apartments at 119th Avenue North and 4th Street around noon on Thursday. When the chase led them into a wooded area, Ajax ran into a rattlesnake that was none too happy to see him.

The snake struck the dog. Police bit back, shooting the snake in the woods.

Ajax was scooped up and taken to Partridge Animal Hospital for anti-venom treatment.

While Ajax was in the hospital recovering, other officers busied themselves to finding the suspect whose trail the dog was on. An arrest was announced late Thursday night.

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St. Pete Police Dog Bit by Rattlesnake

Jack Dion, 39, was charged with loitering and prowling. Police say they received a tip that a man in muddy clothing was seen leaving the wooded area. When they questioned Dion at his home, police say he admitted to running from police earlier in the day, an email from the department stated.

Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department

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