A volunteer received a call from a woman whose husband, a conservation agent, stopped a man who was carrying a gun as the man emerged from a wooded area. He learned that the man had been trying to shoot his injured dog because he claimed he could not afford vet care, but though he was shooting at point blank range, the dog escaped from the grave he'd put him in and had run off. The agent and the man searched for and found the injured Frenchie.
The agent persuaded the man to turn the dog over to rescue, and his wife made a call to us.
The nearest available volunteer was 3 hours away and when she got the call she was just wrapping up her daughter's 10th birthday party. Mom and daughter got in the car and drove to pick up the injured dog. When they returned to the volunteer's vet, it became apparent that the dog, named Zion, had been struck by a car about 2 weeks prior, and had been suffering with a shattered pelvis all that time.In addition, at some point he'd been shot with a shotgun--not in the woods earlier that day, because these pellets were healed over.
The vet recommended euthanasia for Zion, and while her daughter waited outside the room, our volunteer held this gentle dog as he crossed the Bridge.
We understand the conservation agent is preparing a case against the man who tried at least twice to kill his dog and allowed Zion to suffer needlessly for two weeks. The vet who saw him that day offered to participate in any way he can in prosecuting the owner.
The world is full of ignorance and there are many sad stories in it, and those of us who do rescue hear a lot of them. This one was particularly difficult. Please take a moment to consider how fortunate your dog is, and please consider donating to a rescue organization in your town or to FBRN in Zion's memory.
We offer many thanks to our volunteer and especially to her daughter, who learned a very hard, sad lesson on what should have been a very happy day. Rest in peace, Zion. You were a very good dog.
The Frog Princess
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9 comments:
There are no words...
No. Words. Mans inhumanity to man/ beast is never ending. Our quest to educate that our animals are family is never ending. God bless this poor soul. May he rest in peace; finally.
run free sweetheart. Hope he gets prosecuted to the fullest extent, sick human
Benny & Lily
Wow a heartbreaking story. It hurts to imagine anyone ever mistreating my little Frenchie, as dogs deserve nothing but love. I will be giving him extra snuggles and treats today. Thank you for sharing this tough story.
Just curious as to why the pelvis couldn't have been surgically fixed? Were the shotgun injuries so bad? Sorry, but I don't totally understand why euthanasia was only answer. Was it because he was already suffering so much? I mean no disrespect. I love my Frenchies so much and I am so sorry such a beautiful dog was lost. RIP Zion
Regarding the decision to euthanize: the vet's recommendation was based on the following: "The extent of damage to the bones, internal/soft tissue damage and the length of time since injury were all deciding factors. There was also the damage done by the shotgun pellets."
We approve surgeries for dogs with serious spinal injuries and hip, knee, and leg defects and breaks very frequently, so the damage must have been very severe indeed.
At least Zion was with people that loved him at the end. He may have missed out on more previously, but the end is where it truly counts. Gods speed Zion.
This breaks my heart. I'm glad that Zion was able to feel love from the volunteer and her daughter in his last few moments.
i'm just crying all day. this is making me want to volunteer more than ever. how can someone ever...even in a bad dream do anything like this?!
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