K-9 recovering after suffering snake bite during search

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg police dog was recuperating Thursday at a veterinarian's office after being bitten by a rattlesnake while pursuing a burglary suspect.

Ajax, a 2-year-old German shepherd, will spend the night under observation, official said.

St. Petersburg K-9 units were tracking a suspect possibly involved in a burglary Thursday afternoon. Ajax and his handler, Officer Joseph Lehman, had entered a wooded area near the apartment complex when the dog was bitten by a rattlesnake.

Ajax was taken to a veterinarian clinic, where he received antivenin treatment and a blood transfusion.

Lehman shot the rattlesnake.

Snake bites can affect a dog's heart, but St. Petersburg Police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez said Ajax seemed to be stable.

The suspect remains at large.

Contributing: The Associated Press