Ace is 7 years old and has spent half his life training to do exactly this: step in front.
On August 6, 2026, in a wooded area near Kathleen, Florida, an armed man fired at three Polk County deputies. He stepped in front. The bullet fractured the bone in his left front leg and tore an artery. He lost so much blood that they had to airlift him by helicopter to amputate his leg in a surgery lasting several hours.
Three days later, he walked out of the hospital wearing a shirt that said “ride or die”. This week, he returned to the station with only three legs, to applause from the same deputies who are still alive thanks to him. Sheriff Grady Judd had no hesitation in calling him a hero. After six years of service, he is now retired and will spend the rest of his life with his handler.
He was trained to stand between deputies and a bullet, and ended up losing a leg for doing it. Do you think that makes him a hero, or does it show that no dog should be trained to risk its life that way?