Dog bit by suspect back on job

A New Hampshire police dog is OK and back on the job after being bitten by a man resisting arrest, WMUR reported.

“No visible injuries, and (Veda) is doing just fine and back to work,” state police Sgt. Mark Hall told WMUR.

Police surrounded a home Jan. 21 in Boscawen after a report of a shooting, WMUR reported. Police said that several people were inside the home and refused to come out.

One of them, Justin Santagati, was trying to hide under a pile of clothes when police sent K-9 Veda in to retrieve him. He allegedly put the dog in a chokehold and bit it on the head.

Santagati allegedly punched and kicked the dog and “on-scene troopers,” police said. He is facing several charges, including assault on a police K-9, WMUR reported.

“He bit the dog, the dog bit him, he ended up getting Tasered,” Lt. Jason Killary of the Boscawen Police Department told Reuters. “If you get into a biting competition with a police dog, you’re not going to win. They’re pretty good at that.”