NORFOLK — A 4-year-old mastiff mix was given a second chance at life after a Norfolk couple found her shot and bleeding in the Willoughby area on Black Friday.
The 85-pound-pup, Shadow, was found by a couple who were pulling into their driveway on Nov. 24. Although she came to the couple when called without hesitation, she appeared to be tired and she was covered in blood, said Norfolk Animal Care Center Manager Barbara Hays.
The couple took Shadow to the NACC. By all appearances, she was happy and had a good appetite.
Pound staff examined her face, believing that the source of the bleeding was puncture wounds. Maybe she’d gotten into a fight with another animal before the couple found her, staff thought, putting her on antibiotics to fight infection.
About a week later, Shadow’s face began to swell and NACC staff realized something was terribly wrong.
On Monday, Shadow’s face was X-rayed and veterinarians realized that the dog had been shot multiple times. Two bullets were lodged into her cheek and neck, and another bullet fragment nicked her axis vertebrae — where her head is attached to her shoulders — “narrowly missing her spinal cord,” according to a NACC Facebook post.
“She was lucky it was mostly soft tissue damage,” Hays said.
The next day Shadow was taken into surgery where a veterinarian removed the bullets. It was too risky to remove the bullet fragment from her vertebrae, so it remains lodged inside the bone.
Now, the Norfolk Police Department is looking for the person or people who shot Shadow.
The NACC used Shadow’s microchip to track down the shelter she was originally adopted from in Florida; however, they did not have any information on Shadow’s owner and no one came to reclaim her.
“People move and the microchip doesn’t get updated or the animal gets readopted,” Hays said. “They couldn’t provide any information.”
But the story isn’t all sad for Shadow, who Hays described as friendly, affectionate and good with other animals. The same couple that saved her life in November adopted her into their home on Thursday afternoon.
“She is truly deserving of a lasting, loving home,” the NACC Facebook post reads.
Hays said no one knows exactly when Shadow was shot, but given the amount of blood she was covered in when she was discovered, she believes it happened around Thanksgiving.
“You have to wonder what were the circumstances that led to that happening,” Hays said. “By her personality, we can’t imagine she was being a threat to either people or animals. Is it just somebody who doesn’t like dogs and doesn’t want this very large dog in their yard or around their home?”
The NPD is actively investigating Shadow’s case. If you recognize her or know about the shooting call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
Send news tips to [email protected].
