I had a chance this afternoon to see the German shepherd, Blade, who was mistakenly shot by a police officer about 6 p.m. Sunday in South Baltimore. The dog was in her cage, being petted by her handler through an open door.

While was in the room, the dog got up and turned around. He had a bandage on his left leg; Officer Steven W. Sturm told reporters outside the Falls Road Animal Hospital -- doggie Shock Trauma to some -- that the dog suffered a gunshot in the left shoulder from a .40 caliber handgun.

He said it appears that the dog might be able to go back to work. "He's a tough dog," Sturm said, explaining he went for a walk on Monday and put pressure on his wounded shoulder. He said the bullet appears to have hit soft-tissue and missed bones.

Blade was shot while pursing several people who bailed from a car whose drive evaded a traffic checkpoint. The dog's handler released Blade from his leash and commanded him to track down the running suspects. A police officers who responded to help approached from the opposite direction and the dog attacked him, prompting him to fire. Police said the officer had no idea he was being attacked by a police dog.

Sturm said being a police dog is dangerous (I'll have more on this part in tomorrow's Baltimore Sun). "They were just both in the same spot at the same time, and Blade was doing what he was taught to do," Sturm said. He added, "It's dangerous because unlike us ... we see somebody with a gun or a weapon, or whatever, we will get out of the way. Dogs react totally the opposite. They go. No matter what they see, they're going to be going unelss we call them off."

To watch video of Blade: