Florida K-9 Ace made a remarkable return to the Polk County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, less than a week after he was shot and lost a leg while protecting three deputies during an arrest attempt. The 7-year-old German shepherd, who has served with the agency since March 2020, came back to the office after a recovery that moved quickly enough to surprise even those closest to his case.
Authorities said Ace was wounded as deputies tried to arrest 27-year-old Angel Bowers, who had failed to appear in court. Officials said Bowers allegedly fired at least four rounds at the three deputies. Bowers was killed by deputies at the scene. Sheriff Grady Judd said Ace shielded the deputies from the gunfire and took a hit in his left front leg that shattered the bone and tore an artery, causing major blood loss. Ace’s partner and handler, Deputy Natalie Oestreich, treated the wound and carried him to safety, according to the sheriff’s office.
Emergency treatment began at Parkway Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Lakeland, where Ace was stabilized before a Tampa General Hospital Aeromed helicopter moved him to the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch. Veterinarians there spent several hours performing surgery to amputate his left front leg. The sheriff’s office later shared video of deputies greeting Ace at the veterinary center before he headed home, where he appeared eager to move on his own despite the injury.
The office said Ace woke from anesthesia trying to walk out of the hospital and never seemed discouraged. Deputies described him as energetic during his release, and video showed him walking out under his own power to applause while wearing a shirt that read “ride or die.” His first return visit to the sheriff’s office came two days later, where Judd said Ace was doing well and even playful. “Look at Ace. He’s happy; he’s eating; he bit my finger,” Judd said. “We are so proud of Natalie and Ace. They stood in the gap between good and evil and they saved three deputies’ lives. That’s why we’re so proud of him. He did so good.”
