MP, age 7 1/2, is getting too old for this.
The Belgian Malinois police dog was just months from retirement Saturday when he and his handler, Anchorage police officer Nathan Keays, arrived in Mountain View to investigate reports of a man wielding a machete.
One of seven patrol dogs working for the Anchorage Police Department, MP's job is to chase down suspects, search buildings and sniff out evidence criminals might toss while on the run.
MP was stabbed at least three times in the head and neck and spent an hour in surgery, Keays said.
The weekend encounter in East Anchorage turned a citywide spotlight on the department's nearly 40-year-old canine unit as well-wishers wondered about the condition of the wounded dog.
On Monday, the officer spoke to reporters about the arrest for the first time, describing what happened in his own words. MP, he said, held his own.