K-9 Bruno and his partner Officer R.J. Young were chasing down a suspect on March 20, 2014 when Bruno was shot in the face by a man believed to have fired at probation officers. The suspect was killed in the ensuing gunfire, but no one else was hurt that day because of Bruno.
“[He was shot] point blank, it was a horrific thing to have to watch,” Young, an officer with Anaheim, California’s police force, told ABC News at the time. “My entire world came tumbling down in the matter of a second.”
Bruno was bleeding profusely but never made a sound as he returned to Young’s side. Young tried to stop the bleeding and rushed his partner to the emergency veterinarian hospital where the 7-year-old dog immediately went into surgery.
The bullet had shattered his jaw and lodged in his chest damaging a long and stopped less than an inch from his heart. But, miraculously, Bruno pulled through.
He underwent several surgeries to reconstruct his jaw and lung and when Bruno was well enough to be released from hospital, he was retired from the force and returned home with Young. Cameras were there on the day Young was finally able to take his partner home from hospital. Young said, “He’s like a son to me. Bruno will be with me for the rest of my life.”
Watch the emotional reunion of two brave officers below and share their heartwarming story with your family and friends!
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