FOND DU LAC COUNTY (WTAQ-WLUK) – K9 Iro’s comeback story reached a happy ending Thursday, as he was officially welcomed back to duty by his family at the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.
Just under 11 months after he was shot and critically injured while on patrol, Iro has completed his rehab therapy and recertification and wascleared to return to work.
“This is probably one of the best days, to see Iro back on duty after what he’s gone through,” said Lieutenant and K9 Coordinator Ryan Zitlow. “To see him come from where he was on that day, where we were questioning whether or not he was even going to make it, to this point, coming back to duty.”
According to authorities, in the early morning hours of Oct. 14, 2023, a female victim escaped a residence in the 500 block of Drury Place in the city of Fond du Lac. She reported that she had been sexually assaulted and held against her will by 33-year-old Kyle Massie. She told police Massie was armed with loaded firearms.
Deputy Blaine Evans responded to the scene with his K9 partner, Iro, despite having only five minutes left in his shift.
An altercation ensued as law enforcement arrived, and Evans and Massie exchanged gunfire. Iro was released into the garage to help apprehend Massie, who shot at the dog. Iro suffered an estimated three to five bullet wounds. He was discovered inside the garage, lying in a pool of his own blood, with severe wounds to a large portion of his body.
Evans was not hurt during the shootout. Two of his shots struck Massie, but they were non-life threatening injuries. Massie died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as he was attempting to flee the scene. Evans was not charged in the shooting.
Iro was rushed to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Appleton, where he underwent emergency surgery. It was made possible by fellow dog Dwyer, a yellow lab owned by one of the hospital veterinary technicians where Iro was being cared for. Dwyer’s blood type was a match to Iro’s, making it possible for the Labrador to donate his blood and help raise Iro’s blood counts to levels needed to undergo the lifesaving procedure.
After being released from the pet hospital, Iro spent nearly a year recovering from his injuries. He completed regular physical therapy appointments at the UW Veterinary Care clinic in Madison and trained to become recertified at Jessiffany Canine Services, LLC.
“Pretty big day. Iro is a hero, as we all know. He definitely saved Blaine’s life that morning, and in less than a year, he went from literally being on the verge of death from doing his job, to back in full service and ready to go,” Sheriff Waldschmidt said Thursday. “And he’s been ready to go really since the day he walked out of the hospital… He’s been waiting for this day as much, if not more, than Blaine, his handler, has been.”
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