Someone shot a Labrador retriever in the head in Plant City, Florida — and they did it more than once. The bullets just narrowly missed his brain, and he's managed to survive so far. An unknown passerby found the dog last week and called the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center immediately to seek help.
Rescuers in the Tampa Bay area are not sure who shot this dog, or why, but they're nursing him back to recovery and have given him a new name: Dexter.
Dexter can't use him mouth — because of the bullet wounds there — so he's been eating through a syringe. He is going to need oral jurgery to heal his jaw, but he might not recover for many months.
According to Nancy Pesses, an emergency veterinarian at BluePearl Veterinary Partners hospital in nearby Brandon, Florida: "If the bullets had hit him just 2 inches differently, there might have been significant neurological damage."
She also said: "He's been a pretty good fighter while he's been here. I've seen a lot of other dogs go through things and some aren't as resilient as he seems to be. Dexter is partially breathing from an exit wound on the left side of his face."
Unfortunately, veterinary staff say they've had many dogs come through the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The County Sheriff's Office says it's not sure who owns the dog, or who committed this heinous act. In the meantime, the nonprofit organization Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida is trying to find a safe, loving new home for Dexter.
Please sign this petition to demand that the Tampa Bay Police Department and County Sheriff's Office investigate & prosecute the person who shot this dog in the mouth!
For more info, please read: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/Dog-shot-in-head-taken-to-veterinary-hospital-w-video-_165222339
