Drake was a hero and a loyal best friend. The former K9 patrol dog was just protecting the property of his master, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Boody, when armed robbers broke into their house. Trooper Boody was not at home and Drake did his best to fight off the violent intruders, despite being shot several times.
The saga of the wounded German Shepard began on Sunday Night, when Bobby Boody returned from work and found his place ransacked, with blood splattered everywhere. The house was silent and Drake didn’t bound happily to the front door to greet his friend.
Rushing upstairs, Boody found Drake conscious and barely alive. He gathered the 100 pound animal in his arms, hurried to his car, and drove to the local emergency veterinary clinic. The severely wounded Shepard was stabilized and then transferred to the hospital of Dr. Ken Simmons in Lantana, Florida for surgery.
Dr. Simmons repaired the damage done to two of Drake’s legs, his brow and his jaw. Sadly, a bullet had also nicked the dog’s esophagus and Drake was having difficulty eating and drinking. The concerned Vet hoped the specialists at the University of Florida’s veterinary school could save Drake and he arranged to fly the dog and his owner to Gainesville.
The specialists did their best but they discovered more damage to a blood vessel in the dog’s neck. Trooper Boody and the doctors decided it was best to spare the dog any more pain and on Friday at 6:15 pm, Drake the German Shepard was euthanized.
Bobby Boody was too upset to talk with the press, so he asked Dr Simmons to represent him. The disappointed doctor spoke to reporters about the effort to save the canine hero .
“I’m really happy that I took him up to (the University of) Florida today because we had some of the brightest minds in veterinary medicine on the planet all gathered around this dog, thinking through how it was going to go. At the end of it, we didn’t leave any stones unturned, we didn’t put Drake through any pain. He didn’t feel any pain at all.”
“I’m just totally emotionally spent. I so bad wanted this to be something good for all of these people that were so enthralled with this dog’s fight. At the end of the day, you feel like you let them all down.”
Police have arrested a 16 year old male as the prime suspect in the shooting and robbery. The unnamed minor was traced by the ankle monitor he was wearing while while on probation for burglary and grand theft. The police are also looking for 2 other suspects.
Investigators said the house was chosen for the robbery because the suspects knew a police officer lived there and they thought they would find guns and money. Authorities said the youth confessed to the crime and expressed no guilt over the death of Drake.
Detective Philip DiMola commented on the coldness of the suspect.
“He had no remorse. I asked him, ‘Did you think about that dog today?’ He said no.’”
The Inquisitr sends our condolences to Trooper Bobby Boody over the loss of his loyal companion, Drake the German Shepard. We salute all the brave dogs who have comforted and protected us, no matter the risk or danger. The beloved dog truly is humanity’s best friend.