The 10-pound pack, stitched in red and white trim, is unremarkable to the eye. But the contents inside are life changing: bandages and gauze pads, trauma pads and ointments, trach tubes, tourniquets and burn sheets.
Meet the buddy bag, the go-to device for Hamilton County deputies who need to treat a K-9 with traumatic injuries in the field.
“They give us the opportunity to help prevent further injuries until we can get these dogs to a proper facility,” spokesman Matt Lea said. “Before we had buddy bags, if we had an injured K-9, we had to wait on an ambulance.”
On Monday, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies gathered at the Dayton Boulevard office to receive in-depth instruction from a local veterinarian, Lea said.
Jacob Liu, of the Animal Clinic of Chattanooga, walked four deputies through “things the average person may not know,” such as where to place a splint, how to bandage a gunshot wound, and which life-saving drugs to administer for at least an hour and a half, Lea said. For instance: What if a dog fell into a hole, broke its leg, and needed medical attention during a chase and takedown of a suspect? Liu demonstrated the proper response by wrapping bandages around a female pooch named Maly, one of five dogs in the K-9 unit.
“They’ve had training before,” Lea said afterward, “but it was really nice talking about the specifics.”
The sheriff’s office received the buddy bags about eight months ago, said deputy Ben Johnson, whose K-9 is Maly.
Two were donated, three were purchased, he said. Each bag ran up $250, but the value far outweighs the cost.
“Dogs get hurt,” Johnson said, “just like humans do.”
The office also has four bulletproof vests, which cost anywhere from $700 to $800 apiece, and is working to secure a fifth.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at 423-757-6347 or zpeterson@timesfreepress.com.