Posted on 10/16/2009 1:51:12 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Samantha is one lucky dog.
You wouldn't know it, though, if you saw her Aug. 11. Someone had shot her in the face and left her to die inside a locked mobile home in Ellsworth, Wis.
But lucky for Samantha, police came knocking that day.
Bloody dog prints outside the home were a sure sign something was wrong. Doug Ducklow, an investigator for the Pierce County sheriff's office, had gone to the home to follow up on an unrelated case when he found the blood. Looking through a window, he couldn't believe what he saw: a skinny dog with part of its lower jaw hanging from its face.
"I knew right away that I had to do something to rescue that animal," Ducklow said. He got a warrant to enter the home and contacted Dr. Becky Behrendt at Pierce Veterinary Clinic in Ellsworth.
The frightened dog was taken to the clinic, and Ducklow anticipated the worst.
"I thought for sure that they'd have to euthanize the dog," he said. "But Becky looked at me and said, 'No, I think we can save her.' "
They did.
The next month, clinic staff performed multiple surgeries on Samantha at the clinic's expense and repaired as much of the damage as they could.
"One side of its lower jaw was pretty much gone, and the other side was broken," Behrendt said. "We fixed the side that was broken and kind of closed the side where the pieces were gone."
Dr. Heather Fairbairn, another veterinarian at the clinic, said the decision to save the dog was made because she demonstrated
remarkable character.
"This dog had an extraordinary temperament given the situation," said Fairbairn, who added the dog showed no aggression. "All she wanted to do was lay her bloody face on someone's lap."
The day Samantha was found, Kim Tapager drove to the Pierce Veterinary Clinic to pick up a prescription for one of her two Great Danes. She had been thinking about adopting another one.
Clinic staff asked Tapager if she wanted to take the injured dog, which was sedated and unconscious. It wasn't a Great Dane, but it needed a home.
"I said, 'Well, you fix her up, and we'll take her,' " said Tapager, who lives in Ellsworth with her husband, Larry. "We planned on just fostering her, but we think she'll stay forever now."
Tapager, who calls Samantha "Sam" for short, said she gave the dog the name because "it sounded like a girly but tomboy-ish name."
"She's a tough girl," Tapager said.
Behrendt is happy where Samantha landed.
"She's a very good owner, so she'll take good care of her," Behrendt said of Tapager.
Whoever did that to the pup needs to be beaten with an axe handle...
Didn’t the mobile home have an owner? Seems they left out part of the story. Cute doggy!
D-o-gs (g-o-d) are marvelous critters, aren’t they. All they crave is the love and attention of humans. Poor baby. I’m so glad she is healed and has a loving owner now. She’s a cute dog!
Probably just the local swat team honing their skills.
Go Go
July 4 2003 - Oct 5 2009
"Dear Girl, If love alone could have saved you, you would never have left us"
I know I should forgive...but man, someone who shoots a dog...I don’t know....
What great creatures God has given us in dogs.....
“”Dear Girl, If love alone could have saved you, you would never have left us” “
I feel your pain - I lost my buddy of 11 years in December...still hurts....
: (
I was thinking of doing something different to him with the axe handle. Something Barney Frankish.
Oh, I’m so sorry about your girl. What a sweet face.
.
Woof
We lost ours in August...120 lbs of unconditional love.
I held my Nicky as the vet gave her the shot. She was with me for 17 years.
That was eight years ago. The screen still gets blurry, stupid glasses.
I swore I'd never have another dog - ever.
Then along comes the daughter, "Daddy, can I have a puppy?" I answered 'no' for about three years.
We now have two Fox Terrior pups. Just took the female in for her rabies shot today.
Dogs are so cool.
I should have said yes to the daughter the first time she asked.
Yes, I know my Nicky is waiting for me a the Rainbow Bridge.
And my Phudd.
What a beautiful dog! He’s waiting for you now. Condolences.
A handsome dog and an awesome photograph.
"All she wanted to do was lay her bloody face in someone's lap."
How right you are. Dogs are great creatures and masters of forgiving. The beautiful catch here is their simple innocence; they are what they are and can be nothing else.
Thank You.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.