Normally, we spend Friday afternoon working on our weekend "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap" feature, but today we're doing that AND posting a new item because I suspect many of you will want to help a gun-shot dog. Many of you will want to help the gunshooter, too, but those methods of "helping" are probably against the law and, besides, we don't really know who the shooter is. Yet.
Good grief. Good grief. Look at this dog. See that right foreleg? That's not a smudge on the camera lens. That's a gunshot wound. We got several e-mails about this dog from devoted rescuers including Cathie Desell and Mary Garrett. They were tipping us to this "awful" story on the Straydog Inc. website .
Erin Johnson of Straydog, the amazing rescue facility near Gun Barrel City, sent us the note explaining what has happened. It's more than a gunshot wound. And, of course, it happened in Dallas. Here's Erin's note:
"Doggie, a 38-pound pit bull mix has given birth. She also has been shot in the leg in the last day or so, and was abandoned on someone's lawn in a kennel with no door on it this morning. Her puppies were nowhere to be seen.
"A lady named Karen found Doggie and Karen has a friend who's husband is a vet so Doggie was taken to this clinic. Doggie was examined, poked and prodded.
"Her shot leg was felt, pulled and x-rayed.
"She is so sweet that she wagged her tail as all of these things were being done, vet tech Susan told me.
"Doggie's leg is shattered at the elbow."
Well, of course, folks, the dog's leg is in no shape to be saved. The surgery is going to cost upwards of $1,200 -- maybe the whole bill be more by the time everything is done.
Straydog, already on the hook each day for a whole lot of expenses, needs help with this project. Not just fostering, but with finding the dough to pay for all of this unexpected medical expense. (Send donations to Straydog, For Doggie, P.O. Box 1465, Gun Barrel City, TX. 75147. If you want to get more involved call 903-479-3497 or email [email protected]. They'll appreciate your help.)
Now, we know that Doggie is in good hands for now. And that it is likely she will get through all this tragedy.
Those who have experience with what happens in these cases will probably now want to say a prayer or whatever your beliefs allow on behalf of the puppies. In all probability, they were kept so they can become fighting dogs or bait for fighting dogs.
If anyone knows about the shooting of this dog or the whereabouts of these puppies, get the word to your local cruelty officer or find someone in rescue who can direct you to the proper authorities.
After all, this may be Texas, but shooting a dog on purpose carries more of a penalty than shooting a lawyer by accident.
