Overview

• Zena, a 3-year-old Bernedoodle serving as Wilmington Police’s therapy dog, died after a Tuesday morning head-on collision on Whipple Road in Tewksbury.
• Police say a Mazda 3 driven by a 26-year-old Westminster woman crossed the center line and struck a Toyota Camry driven by Zena’s handler, clinician Samantha Cavanaugh.
• Both drivers were taken to local hospitals with injuries not described as life-threatening, and the Mazda driver is expected to be summoned for negligent operation and a marked lanes violation.
• Zena was transported by ambulance to Bulger Animal Hospital in Lawrence under Nero’s Law, which allows emergency transport for injured police dogs, and she died at the hospital.
• Wilmington Police praised Zena’s community work since joining the department in 2022, noting her partnership with Cavanaugh in the Health & Recovery Unit and frequent visits to schools and the senior center.