COOS BAY, Ore. – An Oregon sheriff’s K-9 is recovering after an encounter with a porcupine during a suspect search left him with more than 200 quills covering his face, authorities said Monday.
K-9 Odin was tracking a 29-year-old man being sought on felony warrants around 6 p.m. Saturday in the Barview area when he crossed paths with a porcupine, according to a news release from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office.
Odin was struck with more than 200 quills, some of which went inside the canine’s mouth, authorities said. Two were discovered near his left eye.
The search for the wanted man was suspended so Odin could be rushed to a veterinarian at Hansen-Meekins Animal Hospital for treatment. He was sedated for more than two hours while the quills were removed.
By Easter Sunday, he was “feeling much better,” though he was swollen and very sore, according to a post on a Facebook page devoted to Odin and another Coos County sheriff’s K-9 named Raven.
Odin has since gone home to continue his recovery.
Related: Stop snuggling hedgehogs, CDC urges amid salmonella outbreak
The Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, is still searching for Devin J. Wilson of Coos Bay and has asked for the public’s help in finding him.
Wilson “has committed new crimes and still has outstanding warrants,” the release stated. Sheriff’s officials did not release any additional details about the nature of the crimes or warrants.
