On Thursday, Massachusetts state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, and state Rep. Steven Xiarhos, R-Barnstable, joined with Springfield police and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to promote a bill legislators are drafting that would ensure health costs of police dogs are funded after they retire.
“Dakota’s Bill” was named for a K9 that responded to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder so severe it was recommended the dog be euthanized. An animal rehabilitator stepped in to care for the dog, which is now featured in a movie that promotes the law, Xiarhos told MassLive .