K-9 back on the job after being shot

MOSS POINT, Miss. (WALA) - A Moss Point Police K-9 is back on the job after police said she was mistakenly shot by an officer last week. They said, however, Cora is taking it slow.

Police said they were serving a search warrant when it happened. They said Cora mistook an undercover officer for the suspect; while at the same time, the officer mistook Cora for the suspect’s pit bull.

The officer fired one shot that went through Cora’s hind leg. Her handler Officer Dustin Hunt said she never backed down just as she is trained to do.

"She never flinched. She kept her focus," said Hunt.

It might have been more trying for Hunt.

"She's not only my pet, she's my best friend. She's my partner. It was very traumatic for me just as you would see your child get hurt," said Hunt.

For more than a week, Cora has been in recovery mode and making progress. Hunt said it hasn’t been easy getting Cora to take a break from the job. He said there is one thing she enjoyed about the time off; the spot light.

"She is loving the attention especially with the kids. She'll sit there and let 20-30 of the kids just rub all over her, and she's loving every minute of it," said Hunt.

And the kids love Cora. Cora left her mark on one elementary school before the shooting and Hunt said they have flooded Cora with get well soon cards. AND

"From what I understand, the kids were devastated she had gotten injured so we started receiving these cards; and we thought that was just awesome," said Hunt.

With a lot of love, Cora’s wound looks much better and she is ready to roll by Hunt’s side. Although she can’t physically take down criminals yet, she is making her presence known.

"She is back in the truck riding around with me letting people know that hey I'm OK, I'm still here,” said Hunt.

Cora is expected to start easing into the physical aspects of the job in about a week. Hunt said she is recovering better than anticipated and knows she will be back 100 percent.