Dog Takes Bullets for Owner in Carjacking Attack

A dog named Max shielded his owner, Osmar Persisco of Garibaldi, Brazil, in a carjacking attack.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on January 26 2011

Your dog may be your best friend. But would he take a bullet for you?

Hopefully, that’s a question you’ll never have to put to the test. But for Osmar Persisco of Garibaldi, Brazil, the answer was a resounding “yes.”

The trouble started last Sunday, when Persisco parked his car for a play session with his dog, Max, in Max’s favorite field. He’d just gotten Max out of the car when two armed men accosted him, demanding the keys to his truck.

Persisco resisted, and tried to fight off the men—but they began shooting at him. The first bullet grazed his forehead, but luckily, it was only a flesh wound. That’s when Max leapt in to protect his master, shielding him from further harm.

“He saw the blood and was furious,” Persisco told Brazilian newspaper Globo (via TreeHugger). “He left like a rocket to attack the thieves. One of them ran away, but Max dominated the other one. To defend himself, the thief ended up shooting the dog. Max thwarted the assault and saved my life.”

Max was shot multiple times, with two bullet holes in the chest and another in his right front leg. Fortunately, the thieves ran off, and Persisco was able to take his heroic dog to a nearby animal hospital for treatment. Max currently sports a bright green cast on his leg, but he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Max must love his owner an awful lot to risk his life for him—and the admiration definitely seems to be mutual. “If I didn’t have my dog around, they would have killed me,” said Persisco. “He’s my hero.”

Filed under: Animals and Pets, Heroes,

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