Police Officer To Adopt Canine Partner Shot In Line Of Duty

When Bruno, a seven-year-old police dog in Anaheim, California, was shot in the line of duty, it didn’t look like he was going to make it. A bullet pierced the German Shepherd just an inch from his heart, and surgeons were forced to remove part of his lung — but they couldn’t even remove the bullet because the surgery itself was so taxing.

He did survive — and now Bruno is going on to recover with his police partner, R.J. Young, in the comfort of his new home. Young and his wife, Rachel, have volunteered to adopt the German Shepherd and take on all of his medical expenses. “The bond is unexplainable,” Young told ABC News. “Seeing him the way he is kills me… It was a horrific thing to have to watch [when Bruno was shot]… My entire world came crumbling down in the matter of a second.”

More: Man Picks Up This Dog From The Shelter. What Happens Next Is Heartbreaking.

And, according to the police chief, Young’s life very well could have ended literally if it weren’t for Bruno. “There’s no doubt,” Schmidt said, “this dog saved three officers through the heroic effort of what he did doing his job.”