#19. Presidential Work
Meet Casper, a bomb, SWAT, and patrol K-9 for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Casper was an amazing police dog and took his job very seriously. Nothing could get past this K-9. In fact, Casper was such an amazing police dog that he was even hired by the President as a guard and bomb-detecting dog. Casper did phenomenally at his job throughout the presidency and then moved onto work in Florida. However, he never expected to put his life on the line like he did on one particular night.
#18. Shootout
One night, a shootout broke out in Jupiter, Florida when police officers were on the lookout for Phillip O’Shea. O’Shea had robbed a Palm Beach bar back in May, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The crime quickly spiraled out of control.
#17. The Chase
Police officers chased down O’Shea in their vehicles. Eventually the high-speed chase turned into a huge crash. Officers lost the suspect that day but soon relocated him at a later date. That was when things really got out of hand.
#16. Spotted
O’Shea was eventually spotted by the authorities on a later date. A shootout broke out between the officers and O’Shea, ultimately leading to his death. However, before that happened, Casper would face a pretty serious blow from a gunshot.
#15. The Shot
While O’Shea was targeting the officers and trying to ward them off, he inadvertently shot in such a way that Casper the dog was able to jump in and save his handler. The German Shepherd was seriously wounded and the officers had no idea how badly until they took the dog to a vet.
#14. The Wound
The bullet that was meant to hit the officer was diverted when Casper jumped right in front of the bullet. The bullet hit him in his left hip and just slightly missed Casper’s vital organs. Casper was rushed to an emergency vet room.
#13. The Vet
Casper was rushed into the veterinarian’s office where the vet quickly assessed the situation. It seemed that the bullet had to be removed quickly, so Casper underwent surgery to get that done. But did he make it out ok?
#12. The Healing Process
It took a few days for Casper to heal, but the brave German Shepherd made it out alive! After a few days, Casper was off walking on his own as he exited the animal hospital with his handler by his side. Veterinarians are saving that it should be a speedy recovery.
#11. Recovery
“We’re just happy that this is not a significant trauma and thankful that he’s done well — and appreciative for all that he’s done for the county,” veterinarian Michele Tucker told CBS News.
Take a look at Casper in the next photo with his adorable cone.
#10. Cone
For now Casper is just healing with his cone and getting better. However, no one has commented on whether or not he will return to work after he has fully healed. For all his good deeds, Casper was eventually awarded with one of the highest honors ever.
#9. Awarded
Due to his heroic behavior, Casper was honored with the Purple Heart and boy was he happy when he received. His tail wagged back and forth from the honor that he had received. Talk about a good boy!
However, Casper isn’t the only brave pup that took a bullet for someone he loves, take a look at our next dog that jumped in front of one as well.
#8. New York City
A 26-year-old male was taking his dog out for a walk along Eastern Parkway near Troy Ave. in Crown Heights when a trio of robbers broke attempted to jump the man in Brooklyn, NY, However no one expected the situation to turn out the way it did.
#7. Muggers
The three muggers held the man up at gunpoint at around 4 a.m. They asked him for all of his belongings and the 26-year-old was taken aback by the entire situation. That was until his pooch decided to make a difference.
#6. The Gun
When one of the gunmen pointed the gun at the man, the dog let out a loud yelp that instantly startled the mugger. The gunman fired off one round and ended up hitting the dog in the lower back with the bullet.
#5. Hurt Pup
The dog was seriously injured and let out a cry from the pain that he was in. The robbers then proceeded to steal the man’s cell phone and ran off into the early morning, leaving the man with his injured dog that saved his life.
#4. Treatment
The dog was taken to an ASPCA facility. The veterinarians then proceeded to perform surgery on him to remove the bullet where it would be used as evidence in the investigation. So is the pooch ok now?
#3. Healing
Luckily, the wounded dog is healing and doing just fine. However, the cops have yet to capture the crooks that mugged the young man and hurt his best friend in the process. They are still looking into finding the culprits.
#2. Man’s Best Friend
It is stories like these that truly show just how much a dog is man’s best friend. Whether they’re a trained K-9 or just a family pet, you can count on your dog to be there for you through thick and thin.
#1. Great Story
If you were moved by Casper’s touching story of standing in front of a bullet be sure to share the story with your friends and family. After all, it isn’t everyday that a dog jumps in front of a bullet and gains a Purple Heart for it!