Dog Shot While Trying To Protect Its Owners From Armed Men, Recovering

A 5-year-old bull terrier in Philadelphia was shot in the heart last month while trying to keep its masters from harm’s way. Surgeons at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, Pennsylvania, said it was fully recovering after treatment.

It went for its first check-up last week since its release from the hospital after spending three weeks in intensive care.

The owners, Felipe Sinisterra and Natalia Gomez, were walking their bull terrier, named Billy, near their West Philadelphia home on Jan. 14 when two armed men confronted them. Billy started barking when it sensed the potential danger. The goons then opened fire, shot it, and escaped in a waiting car. The bullet pierced its heart, navigated through its left lung, diaphragm, liver, stomach and spleen, Penn Live reported.

A police officer helped the couple take Billy to the hospital. Emergency services staff acted quickly to resuscitate and stabilize it. Billy was diagnosed to have lost a third of its blood while undergoing the first surgery.

“He really took a hard hit with that bullet,” surgeon Aronson told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Parts of the affected organs were amputated during the surgery. A second operation followed suit. Aronson said it was a teamwork that saved the canine’s life as about 30 staff cared for it during its hospital stay.

“It wasn’t one person who saved this dog’s life,” Aronson said. “It really was a team.”

Billy was a gift from Sinisterra’s grandmother on his birthday. He thanked the team for giving Billy a new lease of life.

"He is part of the family and the team did such a great job," Sinisterra told WPVI-TV. "I have the opportunity of more time with him and he is a lot better. He is almost completely recovered, he has his energy back."