AR-News: (MN - US) Vet honored for work in saving police dog's life

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Vet honored for work in saving Nitro 

By Karl Puckett 
Sun Newspapers 
(Created 1/22/04 10:04:50 AM)


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A veterinarian was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Brooklyn Park Police Department last week for her work in saving the life of a police dog that fell three stories and landed on a concrete floor in 2002. 

Mary McCormick was publicly commended for going beyond the call of duty in caring for Nitro, a German shepherd-Belgian malanois mix who was badly injured in the fall. Nitro’s handler is officer Jeremy Halek. 

Prior to last Monday’s City Council meeting, as Nitro and Halek watched, the medal was placed around McCormick’s neck. She was told that she’s a credit to her profession, and that her actions significantly contributed to saving the life of the police canine. 

“It’s an honor,” McCormick said later. 

On Oct. 2, 2002, Halek and Nitro found signs of forced entry at a warehouse and began a building search for suspects. On the third floor, Nitro walked through an open door. It was dark, and it turned out that there was no floor on the other side of the door. 

The dog fell about 30 feet to the concrete below and was barely breathing when Halek reached him. 

Halek called McCormick at home. McCormick, who works with police canines and knew the dog, advised Halek to take Nitro to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital, then met the team there. 

McCormick is not a U of M vet, but police noted that she still stayed with Nitro for the next 48 hours, providing services on her own time. Nitro spent one day in an oxygen chamber and later was moved to a kennel, where McCormick laid with him on the floor. She also arranged to have Halek allowed in the intensive care unit, which isn’t usually allowed. 

A month later, Nitro was back at work. 

“I just took care of him,” McCormick said. “I think he trusts me.” 

Halek said that Nitro isn’t comfortable with strangers and may not have received the care he needed if McCormick had not been at the hospital. 

“She was able to keep him very calm,” Halek said. 

The only higher awards given by police are the Metal of Honor and the Metal of Valor. 

Three other civilians also were recognized last Monday. 

Brian Pulcano of Brooklyn Center and Lawrence and Jean Edwards of Brooklyn Park received Citizen Awards for helping police capture suspects. 

Pulcano was credited with helping police locate a dangerous suspect Aug. 31, 2003 near West River Road. A man who was suspected of stealing a stolen vehicle had fled on foot. 

Pulcano, a contractor, happened to be working in the area and police gave him a description of the suspect. 

A few hours later, Pulcano spotted a man exit a home that was supposed to unoccupied, and his clothing matched the description he had received from police. Pulcano began to follow the man, who became nervous and tried to hide. Pulcano called police and the suspect subsequently was taken into custody. 

Lawrence and Jean Edwards were on their porch at Moonraker apartments on June 21, 2003 when they saw a suspect who had fled police crawl under a vehicle. 

Police had stopped three suspects in a vehicle and found a felony amount of narcotics. The primary suspect took off and an officer gave chase. 

The officer lost sight of the suspect, but police said that the Edwards discreetly caught his attention and pointed out that the suspect was hiding underneath a car in the parking lot. The suspect was located and arrested after a brief struggle.