By Bob Katzen

The House gave initial approval to another Xiarhos proposal that would expand Nero’s Law, passed in 2022, that requires EMS personnel to provide basic emergency treatment to a police dog and use an ambulance to transport the dog injured in the line of duty to a veterinary clinic or veterinary hospital,

if there are not people requiring emergency medical treatment or transport at that time. That law was passed following the tragic death of Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon who was shot and killed in the line of duty. His K-9 partner Nero was severely injured and had to be rushed to the animal hospital in the back of a police cruiser. Nero survived.

The bill permits not just basic emergency medical treatment, but also advanced life support care as an option by those properly trained, if available and necessary.

“We passed Nero’s Law a couple of years ago in honor of K-9 Nero, and as a lasting tribute to fallen Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon, who was killed in the line of duty in the same incident where Nero was injured,” said Xiarhos. “Law enforcement depends on police dogs to keep the public safe in dangerous situations. It’s the least we can do to make sure that these dogs receive proper emergency medical care if they are injured through their work.”