Dog shot while leaping at mugger

German shepherd defended Bay Area owner; 'Buffy' may lose a leg

Slideshow

Image: A baby ring-tailed lemur cuddles with its mother in their enclosure at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo

Animal Tracks
From a beautiful butterfly to a confused capuchin, find images of animals great and small.

more photos

Pet health videos

Chihuahua impaled by BBQ fork
July 17: Smokey the Chihuahua is lucky to be alive after a barbecue fork ended up deep within his brain. TODAY hosts meet the dog, his owner, Hughie Wagers, and his veterinarian, Dr. Keaton Smith.

Patients reward chiropractor with licks

Pet-only airline takes flight

Squirrel in a sticky situation

Pawing it forward: Animal shelters go green

Most popular

updated 2:02 p.m. ET Jan. 12, 2007

OAKLAND, Calif. - A dog named Buffy was seriously wounded after being shot defending her owner during a robbery.

The German shepherd leapt into action after Will Bartley arrived at his Oakland home after work, and the dog ran out to greet him. At about the same time, a gunman approached and demanded Bartley’s wallet.

As Bartley complied, Buffy lunged at the mugger, who opened fire on the dog. Bartley wasn’t hurt, but doctors say there’s a 50-50 chance that Buffy could lose one of her legs.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

It’s not clear if Buffy bit the gunman before he fled.

CLICK FOR RELATED CONTENT

Food-filching fat cat reunited with owner