-Grand Rapids, MI. -August 04, 2023. Grand Rapids police released an update Monday morning on Dozer, the K9 who was seriously injured in a crash late last week. Dozer lost function in his legs after the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) says a speeding vehicle hit one of their cruisers during the early hours of Friday, Aug. 4. The crash happened at Madison Avenue and Hall Street. Police say Dozer has since been diagnosed with severe injuries to his spinal column. Thankfully, his spinal cord is still intact and he is now able to move his left leg slightly. GRPD says Dozer is expected to walk again but it’s unknown if his legs will regain full function. The K9 is expected to be discharged for at-home recovery with Officer Teddy Vanvliet, his handler. The crash happened about 3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4 as an officer was heading to a burglary in progress. The officer was headed south on Madison Avenue SE, with lights and sirens activated, and slowed to almost a crawl for a red light at Hall Street. At that point, the cruiser was struck broadside by the westbound SUV, which Winstom estimated was traveling at 75-80 mph. The officer was pinned in the cruiser and Dozer was pushed out of cruiser when a rear door partially popped open. After the crash, the officer shows immediate concern for the dog. It’s not clear if he can see Dozer. “Dozer are you OK?” he shouts. “Dozer?” He begins to give the dog commands, repeatedly shouting “load” for the dog to get into the cruiser. He tells the first arriving officer at the crash scene to “get the dog, get the dog.” Winstrom said that at least two of the people who fled on foot from the SUV got into an older Nissan Altima, about 2010-2014 with a missing front bumper and no license plate. The Altima left the scene. Winstrom said investigators are working to determine if the SUV was stolen and were talking Friday afternoon with the owner. The SUV driver and front seat passenger were men, while three people in the back seat were women. Winstrom said that, while the officer was preparing to go through a red light, he had not made it far into the intersection. The SUV seemed to veer into the cruiser from the right turn lane of Hall Street. “I am very happy this officer is doing well. He’s bruised. He’s banged up. He’s not feeling great,” Winstrom said. “He and his family are really upset about the dog. Obviously we as a police family are very upset about the dog as well. “It’s very important for us to identify these people, not only for this particular incident but because we just can’t tolerate this kind of activity on our city streets. It’s unacceptable,” he said.