German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as Hungarian police dog

Rambo, a German Shepherd, who was injured in Ukraine's embattled Kharkiv region and was later adopted by the Budapest Police's dog squad is photographed, in Budapest Hungary. June 6, 2023. Rambo is now training with the Budapest Police in neighboring Hungary, and setting an example that dogs and people, can do great things despite their disabilities. Three-year-old Rambo accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Ukraine's Kharkiv region when a rocket attack sent shrapnel into his head, blowing away pieces of skull, damaging his jaw and severely mangling his right ear. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo’s face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive.

The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, underwent emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things.

Recovered from his brush with death in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv province, Rambo is learning how to interact with children, older adults and disabled people at police demonstrations and rehabilitation institutions, according to Lt. Col. Maria Stein with the Budapest Metropolitan Police.