r/interestingasfuck • u/Alarming-Studio-720 • 1d ago

Utah police dog survives injury after leaping from overpass

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 1d ago edited 8h ago

It's less healthcare in this case amd more asset management. Canine units are expensive. A new bite dog cost around $30k to $50k depending on location and training (this range is based on my last canine unit patient from around the early 2020s-it's been a while since I left the vet med field. It's very likely that the cost has increased). To be fair, I'm not sure of the sniffer dog's cost. I only about bite dog's cost after asking about the level of care they receive.

This is an observation based on my time in vet med working with police pups. For example, root canals and crowns are possible in dogs. The only dogs that I witnessed receiving this very expensive care were canine units. Their teeth are treated as an asset. Fixing the issue is more cost effective than purchasing and training a new dog.

Edit to add #1: The guy in the video may be the handler and not the owner. The difference is that if the guy quits the force the dog goes to a different handler. When police dogs retire the handlers do have the option of adopting them in my experience. This happened with a sniffer dog that was shot multiple times (head wounds that affected his nasal passages and a badly broken front leg). He survived but his injuries were significant enough to medically retire him. His handler was very bonded to him and happily adopted him.

Edit to add #2: Y'all. No where in this comment did I claim to be an expert on this. I am only sharing personal experience from caring for canine units as patients. The information above is based on somewhat brief interactions with local law enforcement that were willing to answer my curiousity questions. I am certainly not an expert on this nor am I associated with law enforcement in any way.

Rather than arguing with me, please share your own experiences and info. This has the potential to be a rad info exchange.

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u/DateMasamusubi 23h ago

The average American contributes $95,000/year on average and assuming 40 years of working, that is $3.8 million. The fact that Americans don't have universal healthcare like every other developed nation is a travesty and reflection of their societal values or lack thereof.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 20h ago

Agreed. There's a self responsibility assumption for humans in America. That's one of the reasons America doesn't have universal healthcare. I don't agree with it. I'm just adding a perspective.

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u/brokerrobtampa 23h ago

The average American does not contribute $95,000 a year

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u/TurbulentChemistry22 22h ago

Babe, the GDP per capita is over $95k, so yes they fucking do.

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u/Quickjager 21h ago

That is not how GDP as a stat is applied.

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u/TurbulentChemistry22 21h ago

It is the output for the country averaged out over the population.

Considering that also includes the nonworking population, it is a floor and an underestimation.

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u/Quickjager 21h ago

I said how it is applied, not what it is. GDP includes government spending per person for one, which is not a person's contribution.

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u/TurbulentChemistry22 21h ago

Do you not understand how averages work?

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u/Quickjager 21h ago edited 20h ago

Do you not understand how GDP is calculated? It's real basic even you would understand it.

EDIT: Getting a degree from Hamilton University (not college) is not a degree.

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u/TurbulentChemistry22 21h ago edited 18h ago

I have a masters in economics. Yes, I do.

ETA: editing your comments to get around my block is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen on Reddit.

I went to Northwestern, dumbass.

But weird to shade some random university.

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u/Bubblemindblow 12h ago

I agree with everything except that it’s reflective of American societal values. It’s reflective of capitalism. Most Americans really aren’t against universal healthcare, but so much money is spent on lobbying and propaganda that it makes it impossible to achieve.

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u/Setting-Conscious 23h ago

It’s expensive to train people too.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 20h ago

Agreed. There's a self responsibility assumption for humans in America. That's one of the reasons America doesn't have universal healthcare. I don't agree with it. I'm just adding a perspective.

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u/frellit 22h ago

Peopla have the option to leave jobs though, not a reliable investment.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 20h ago

Agreed. I'm only commenting on the mentality. Canine units are viewed similarly to very expensive vehicles.

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u/sinningvacation 19h ago

unfortunately there’s too many trainable people. not the same for dogs :/

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u/IanHall1 20h ago

That flight cost more than the dog is worth, even at 50K.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 12h ago

That's just the initial cost. Further training adds to the cost. I don't make the financial decisions for police departments.

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u/RockyfromErid 1d ago

Still, it's ridiculous that the police officer can be irresponsible with this dog and then use tax-payer funds to medivac it to the vet.

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u/14u2c 22h ago

$30k to $50k

That's like half an air lift bill. If you're lucky.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 20h ago

That just for the purchase of the dog. Further training and what nots insure added cost. I don't make the financial decisions. 🤷‍♀️

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u/Sponjah 11h ago

There’s no difference between a “bite dog” or “sniffer dog” as you phrased it. They are all K-9 unit and trained the same way.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 9h ago

Not in my experience. It's certainly possible that this varies by area.

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u/Sponjah 8h ago

Then you do not have experience with K-9 units because this is how it is.

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 8h ago

My only experience was caring for canine units as patients. The information I provided is based on interaction with local law enforcement. I'm not disputing that this isn't different elsewhere. I'm sharing my personal experiences. That's all. I am by no means an expert.

I encourage others to add their own info on this.

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u/Sponjah 7h ago

What area are you working in with K-9 unit patients?

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u/Little_SmallBlackDog 7h ago

I'm not disclosing that for safety reasons.