Philippines Dog Kabang Returns Home after Face Surgery

A dog that lost half her face saving two girls from an oncoming motorcycle has returned to the Philippines after eight months of treatment in the US. The mixed-breed dog, Kabang, lost her snout and upper jaw in the incident in December 2011. The hero dog jumped into the path of a motorcycle, stopping it from hitting her owner’s daughter and niece in the southern city two years ago. The accident left a gaping hole in the two-year old dog’s face. Kabang’s heroic tale prompted an outpouring of sympathy, with fundraising campaigns set up on Facebook and Twitter. Doctors at the University of California operated on Kabang’s wounds, and treated her for a tumour and heartworm. The dog was greeted by a crowd of well-wishers at Manila airport and later reunited with her owner, Rudy Bunggal, in Zamboanga.

Dr. Anton Lim is interviewed by the media as he holds Kabang, a two-year-old injured mixed breed, upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines, early Saturday June 8, 2013 from San Francisco, Calif. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)