Pit Bull Hero Recovers After Being Shot While Protecting Owners: Penn Vet
With critical internal damage, Blue needed emergency surgery
By Roy Aguilar ••
A dog named “Blue” is recovering after being shot while defending his owner during a home invasion in West Philadelphia.
Not all heroes wear capes; sometimes, they come in four legs.
Blue, an 8-year-old pit bull, has been hailed a hero by Philadelphia veterinarians for defending his owners Nina Teller and Leroy Bucahan when two armed men burst into their West Philadelphia home one February morning.
"I told Blue to get after the guy," Buchanan told Penn Vet. "He locked onto the guy's leg and that's when he fired his gun."
The home invaders took off — leaving the loyal dog with a severe gunshot wound. Buchanan rushed Blue to Penn Vet's Ryan Hospital.
"My first instinct was that the shoulder wound was an entry and the sternum was the exit wound," recalled Dr. Erica Reineke, the vet who assessed Blue when he first arrived at the hospital. "We knew the wounds were close to his thorax or in his thorax, and he had some air under his skin. So the first thing I was concerned about was thoracic trauma and bleeding from the bullet."
With critical internal damage, Blue needed emergency surgery. Surgeons at Penn Vet operated on the pit bull for about an hour.
Just 24 hours after post-operation, Blue was up and moving and eating with no complications from the surgery, the Penn Vet said. The loyal dog returned home four days later.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
The Internet has done what it does best and created another viral sensation. This time, it's an adorable 7-month-old baby from Montgomery County with long, luscious hair -- and he has caught Ellen DeGeneres's attention.
Adrianna Alfano Cherkas
Meet Theo, a 7-month-old child from Merion Station, Pa., with a luscious head of hair. His hair is so irresistible that his mother Adrianna Alfano Cherkas uploaded a video of her son showing off his mane. The video amassed 36 million views and caught the attention of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
After receiving 50 million views on ellentube, Ellen invited Adrianna and Theo to her show to talk about the infant's rock star hair.
Adriana shared that Theo has never received a haircut, and people often think his hair is fake.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
“What do you do to take care of this hair? Have you insured it?” Ellen joked.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
The mother of two uses tear-free shampoo, leave-in conditioner, a blow dryer and her personal brushes to maintain Theo's fabulous hair.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
It's no surprise that the Montgomery County guests left with a gift from The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The talk show host gifted Theo with a tiny KISS outfit since Adrianna's husband wanted to dress him up as a member of the band for Halloween, but couldn't find one.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
Camera shy? Nope! The 7-month-old did not show any signs of camera shyness and remained in a lighthearted mood throughout the interview.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
The episode aired Wednesday at 3 p.m. on NBC10.
