- K9 Azula and her handler Mike Allred were reunited with her caregivers at Intermountain Health Flight and Ambulance Service and MedVet Salt Lake City three weeks after a shooting that injured them and killed two other officers.
- Azula was the first K9 to be transported by helicopter as part of a unique Intermountain program which began in February 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY — Box Elder County sheriff's police K-9 Azula and her partner were reunited on Tuesday with the caregivers who helped save the dog's life after she was injured in a Tremonton domestic violence shooting that killed two officers.
Intermountain Health's air transport program took the dog to a veterinary hospital as part of a program specifically designed to help K-9s injured in the line of duty and provide specialized transport and trauma care to public safety animals that are injured.
The 3-year-old female Belgian Malinois was flown to MedVet, a Salt Lake City animal hospital, on Aug. 17, and has recovered and returned to duty.
Katie Dawson, a veterinarian at MedVet who treated Azula, said everything went smoothly and the dog was "a terrific patient."
"I'm so proud of our critical care team at MedVet and the way they responded that night," she said.
Azula's partner, Box Elder County sheriff's deputy Mike Allred, who was flown to Bear River Hospital for treatment, joined Azula on Tuesday to recognize many who helped with her care and recovery.
"I'm so thankful and grateful for this program and for everyone who responded that night," Allred said. "I really appreciate the outpouring of support that has been shown to us."
Allred arrived at the scene of the shooting in Tremonton after the two other officers had been shot; bullets quickly hit his car, causing serious injuries to both him and the dog.
Ryan Michael Bate, 32, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a capital charge, in addition to four counts of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; endangering a police service dog, a third-degree felony; three counts of possessing an explosive, a second-degree felony; two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, three counts of assault, unlawful detention and threatening violence, all class A misdemeanors, and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class B misdemeanor.
Azula was the first dog transported with the Intermountain Health program, which connects its emergency transportation arm with local veterinarians and animal hospitals. When it was launched in February 2024, the program was the third of its kind in the country.
A statement from Intermountain said if a K-9 is injured by a gunshot wound, automobile accident or other incident, the police agency or handler can contact Intermountain Health's flight and ambulance team and the dog can be flown with their partner to a pre-designated veterinary hospital. Multiple veterinary hospitals in Davis County, Salt Lake County and Las Vegas participate in the program; each is open 24 hours a day and has critical care specialist veterinarians and advanced life support equipment.
Darby Earle, a flight nurse who leads the K-9 transport team, said the police dogs serve communities well and are essential to public safety.
"They are like family members to their agencies, and like any other officer who is injured in the line of duty and needs immediate care, we want to help them. ... We're thrilled to help fill that vital gap to ensure these operational animals have immediate access to trauma care when needed," Earle said.
In addition to being like family members, police K-9s dogs are an investment for a police force — they take four to five years to train, and that training costs tens of thousands of dollars, Intermountain Health's statement said.
