A police dog has been stabbed in the head as officers tried to arrest a man armed with a knife.
Officers in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, were called to reports of an armed male at around 2.15pm on Monday.
As cops tried to arrest a suspect, police dog Audi received a stab wound to its head.
A police officer was also injured.
The force said the man detained at the scene was taken to hospital after it is believed he suffered a medical emergency.
Responding to comments from concerned members of the public on social media, the force later said Audi was "now in a stable condition".
In a statement on Twitter , police said: "PD Audi is a member of the Staffs Police family.
"We'll be monitoring his progress closely & keeping you updated.
"Thank you for all your well wishes for Audi & his handler."
The dog only joined Staffordshire Police in early April, after passing the 13-week training course with handler Pc Karl Mander.
Chief Inspector Donna Harvey, from Staffordshire Police, said: "Police dogs are our family, not property, and our thoughts are with the dog and his handler at this time."
Last month, a new law, the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill - known as Finn's Law and aimed at giving greater protection to all service animals, came into force.
The legislation, which introduced tougher penalties for those convicting of harming police dogs and horses, entered the statute book following the high-profile case of police dog Finn, who was stabbed while chasing a suspect.
The dog nearly died from wounds to its chest and head but as the law then stood the offence could only be classified as criminal damage.
