A service dog shot three times in an officer-involved shooting has survived after going missing for 12 days.
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – A service dog who was shot three times has survived after he went missing for 12 days in North Carolina.
The dog, named Dumbo, was believed to be with a suspect involved in an officer-involved shooting when bullets flew.
Dumbo has suffered a broken jaw and leg, and has some teeth busted out. He still has a bullet lodged in his right shoulder that just missed his trachea.
He also lost 27 pounds while he was missing for nearly two weeks.
Michelle Wilson is the founder of Epic Animal Recovery. She said it's a miracle Dumbo is still alive.
"To lose that much blood, I mean, for him to be alive, it's amazing," she said. "He's an amazing dog."
Wilson has been reuniting lost animals with their owners for nearly a decade. She said learning about Dumbo's story was heartbreaking.
"When they told me what was happening, you know, your heart just sinks and you're like, 'What can I do?'" she said.
A spokesperson with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident on Thursday, following an April 13 officer-involved shooting with Hayden Brook, who died by suicide according to his death certificate.
Deputies observed a dog exiting Brook's van.
"Pretty quickly after that, they thought the dog had been shot multiple times," Wilson said.
Four days after the shooting, the sheriff's office only confirmed the dog was at the scene.
While authorities continue to investigate, it is still unclear who shot Dumbo.
What is known is that Dumbo went into survival mode right after.
"Their brain actually produces a chemical, and it overdoses their brain and it automatically sends them into survival mode," Wilsons said. "They have zero control over it."
When she was contacted by a lost pets advocate, Wilson got to work with her dog, Seeker. However, the blood trail was contaminated.
Through additional circumstances, Dumbo was eventually found about a football field away from the location of the shooting.
"I would say he was probably within a, maybe, a half-mile radius the entire time," Wilson said.
Dumbo has surgery soon to repair his jaw and remove the bullet from his shoulder.
"It is short of a miracle, absolutely," Wilson said.
Donations can be made to help Dumbo's recovery by calling the Veterinary Medical Center at 423-282-4113.
www.wdbj7.com
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – A service dog who was shot three times has survived after he went missing for 12 days in North Carolina.
The dog, named Dumbo, was believed to be with a suspect involved in an officer-involved shooting when bullets flew.
Dumbo has suffered a broken jaw and leg, and has some teeth busted out. He still has a bullet lodged in his right shoulder that just missed his trachea.
He also lost 27 pounds while he was missing for nearly two weeks.
Michelle Wilson is the founder of Epic Animal Recovery. She said it's a miracle Dumbo is still alive.
"To lose that much blood, I mean, for him to be alive, it's amazing," she said. "He's an amazing dog."
Wilson has been reuniting lost animals with their owners for nearly a decade. She said learning about Dumbo's story was heartbreaking.
"When they told me what was happening, you know, your heart just sinks and you're like, 'What can I do?'" she said.
A spokesperson with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident on Thursday, following an April 13 officer-involved shooting with Hayden Brook, who died by suicide according to his death certificate.
Deputies observed a dog exiting Brook's van.
"Pretty quickly after that, they thought the dog had been shot multiple times," Wilson said.
Four days after the shooting, the sheriff's office only confirmed the dog was at the scene.
While authorities continue to investigate, it is still unclear who shot Dumbo.
What is known is that Dumbo went into survival mode right after.
"Their brain actually produces a chemical, and it overdoses their brain and it automatically sends them into survival mode," Wilsons said. "They have zero control over it."
When she was contacted by a lost pets advocate, Wilson got to work with her dog, Seeker. However, the blood trail was contaminated.
Through additional circumstances, Dumbo was eventually found about a football field away from the location of the shooting.
"I would say he was probably within a, maybe, a half-mile radius the entire time," Wilson said.
Dumbo has surgery soon to repair his jaw and remove the bullet from his shoulder.
"It is short of a miracle, absolutely," Wilson said.
Donations can be made to help Dumbo's recovery by calling the Veterinary Medical Center at 423-282-4113.
Service dog Dumbo found alive 12 days after being injured in officer-involved shooting
A service dog who was shot three times has survived after he went missing for 12 days in North Carolina.
www.wdbj7.com
