REGINA – A stray dog who was found, rescued and cared for by Regina police officers now has a permanent home.

Const. Cory Longhurst was flagged down Thanksgiving weekend by a woman who had found the dog in an alley.

The canine, who was later named Copper, was bleeding from a deep gash on his back leg.

He was taken to a 24-hour veterinary clinic, but without an owner to pay for his care, Copper faced being put down.

That’s when police officers decided to pool their money for treatment.

Longhurst says one of the officers, who wants to remain anonymous, has decided to take Copper home for good.

As of Monday, donations from police members and a few civilians had reached $3,500. The money is enough to cover Copper’s surgery and a pink cast on his leg.

The cast will have to be replaced every two days for the next couple of months if Copper is to keep his leg. Even then, an amputation might still be needed.

Longhurst, one of the officers looking after Copper until a permanenthome could be found, has some advice for the pooch’s new owner.

“Young dogs, they just want to run and play and exercise and have fun… and he’s got to be kept on leash just to minimize the injury to his leg.”

(CJME)