On December 5, 2015, Jamie Strattard rescued what she believed was a muddy and lost dog near the White Tank Mountains in Arizona. The animal lover planned to bathe the dog, create a few fliers and help the pet find his owners, but when she got home, she discovered the muddy dog wasn’t muddy at all. Instead, the pet was bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds.
After picking up the young black Labrador mix, Strattard drove straight home and made plans to help the “lost” dog. She asked her husband to help her with the dog, and that’s when she learned the “dirty” dog was seriously injured.
“I figured I would take him home, give him a bath, post him on our neighborhood page to see if anyone was missing their dog,” the woman told Fox 10 Phoenix. “[But my husband] looked at me and said that’s not mud and I said, yeah, I was just touching him and he said no, it’s blood.”
The couple took the dog to a nearby vet clinic where he was examined. Veterinarians determined the pooch had three gunshot wounds and a 40 caliber bullet lodged in his shoulder. The injured dog did not have a collar or ID tags and had not been implanted with a microchip.
Phoenix non-profit group, Arizona Small Dogs Rescue stepped in to help cover the dog’s medical costs. Strattard and her husband, who already own two other large dogs, volunteered to foster the dog as he recovers and until he finds his loving forever home.
Veterinarians removed the bullet from the dog and cleaned his other wounds. He is now recovering and experiencing love. Rescuers hope to find the truth about the abuse and hopefully find him a perfect home.
To learn more about the dog and how you can help, visit Arizona Small Dogs Rescue on their website or Facebook page.