Community supports recovery of retired police K-9 that lost vision for nearly 2 months

Nov. 19, 2019 Update: Black Diamond police officer Kris Chatterson told KIRO 7 that Sabre is doing fantastic.

Sabre's post-surgery cone has been removed and still has full vision following his last surgery.

Last Friday, Sabre celebrated his 14th birthday.

His next veterinarian visit is scheduled for the first week of December.

The family is still raising money from the community to help cover medical bills.

Thousands of dollars have been raised to support the recovery of retired Black Diamond police K-9 Sabre, the department's first drug dog, that retired seven years ago and recently lost his vision for nearly two months from health complications.

His owner, Black Diamond police officer Kris Chatterson, said the 14-year-old dog developed diabetes in February, then cataracts formed and Sabre lost his vision until the nonprofit Valley Retired Police Dog Association paid for surgery.

"His spirit was broken when he lost his sight," said Chatterson. "We decided, this was unacceptable – he can't have cataracts, he can't go blind like this."

Chatterson said Sabre was then diagnosed with Glaucoma nearly two weeks after his first surgery and started to lose his vision again. Valley Retired Police Dog Association then paid for a second surgery, according to Chatterson, that corrected Sabre's vision but has left him needing costly around-the-clock medication.

"$1,350 a month is what I'm going to be spending out-of-pocket," said Chatterson. "Even if he only has a few years left, at least he'll be able to see for those last few years; so this is my gift back to him."

Chatterson, the department's first K-9 handler, said Sabre was rescued from a local humane society and worked as a narcotics K-9 for seven years.

"He had a very lucrative, fun career," said Chatterson. "He put a lot of people in jail – he did his job."

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