MERCER CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Earlier this week, animal control in Mercer County found Moose, no, not one of the antlered giants, but a happy-go-lucky Great Pyrenees dog with two gunshot wounds. The 18-month-old dog was later transferred to the Commonwealth Animal Hospital.
"To have him be so friendly, despite all he's been through has been a blessing," said Dr. Luke Bosse, the veterinarian who has been working closely with Moose.
He said he’s never seen a dog handle a situation as well as Moose. The dog’s two gunshot wounds were both on the front of his body. One was on his left elbow, where he is expected to have surgery today. The right gunshot fractured his shoulder, but he’s expected to recover okay.
"Thankfully deemed stable upon intake, which allowed us then to sedate him appropriately and position him for X rays,” Bosse added. “Which of course, helped us diagnose not only the bullet fragments that we saw, but also that very minor, thankfully incomplete fracture of his upper humerus, or upper arm bone here."
"I think we got incredibly lucky with where the bullets hit his body," said Amanda Huffman, the founder of PuppyLove KY.
When the non-profit animal rescue center learned about Moose’s injuries, they jumped in to help with his treatments immediately.
"You can't not help, like you have to help it get vet care,” Huffman said.
To her dismay, her organization can’t cover all the bills. They only have a $1,200 budget. Yet Moose’s medical expenses are estimated to be anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 dollars.
"This would take you know, even more than what we currently have," she said. "You know, we're a small organization."
PuppyLove KY is asking for the public’s help to cover both Wednesday’s surgery and future medical expenses. They believe Moose has had a rough start, but the hope is to give him a long, happy life.
"It's easy to want to love on him. And, yeah, I mean, you can still tell he's in pain though, but he does want to be loved, and he does want to have attention,” Huffman concluded, beaming ear to ear.
If there is anyone in the Central Kentucky community and beyond who wants to support Moose’s journey,click here.
