The Humane Society of North Texas wants to know who shot a dog found limping along Interstate 35 in Alvarado.
Tucker, an 11-month old Retriever-mix, was brought to the shelter off East Lancaster Avenue. in Fort Worth Wednesday after someone who saw him thought he had been hit by a car. However, X-rays later revealed a bullet wound in Tucker’s back leg.
“I’m not a veterinarian, but it’s the absolute worst X-ray I’ve ever seen personally,” said Whitney Hanson with the Humane Society of North Texas. “It completely obliterated his femur. If you see the X-ray there is about an inch gap in between one side of the bone and the other with shrapnel of bone and bullet in between – it had to have been an absolutely excruciating injury.”
Those caring for Tucker believe he was intentionally shot at close range with a handgun or small rifle, and he may have been living in pain for weeks.
“When we first got him, we assumed it was a very fresh wound. But once we X-rayed it, we discovered it was not a fresh wound – it’s something he’s probably been living with for several weeks, limping around,” Hanson said.
Donations to the Humane Society of North Texas medical fund helped the organization pay for Tucker’s surgery at another facility. And, while he is on the road to recovery, investigators with the organization’s Humane Investigations Unit are now asking for the public’s help in finding the person who shot Tucker.
“We have absolutely no idea what possessed someone to shoot Tucker, but it was obviously a very inhumane and cruel act and we’re asking for the public’s help to locate that individual so that we can bring them to justice,” Hanson said.
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Tucker will stay with a foster family for at least six weeks while he recovers and then will be placed up for adoption.
“One thing that’s really heartwarming about Tucker is even though he has seen this absolutely atrocious situation, he is just full of love,” Hanson said. “Even when he was in pain and on pain medication, he just wanted to kiss everyone, he wants to lick everybody – he’s just a wiggly puppy that wants to be energetic and be a normal little pup.”
He’s expected to make a full recovery, but a sign of his past may remain.
“The veterinarian does think that his leg that was repaired will be a centimeter shorter than his other three legs because the amount of bone that was obliterated during the shooting,” Hanson said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Humane Society of North Texas Humane Investigations Team at 817-332-4768 ext. 113.
