Early this month, Gemma, a black Flat-Coated Retriever, came up to a construction worker after she had been wandering for two days in Michigan’s Thumb. She had an arrow sticking out of her head; her owner had taken her to a field and shot her. When police finally tracked down the man, the owner said his dog had been bothering his other dog, a Pug, so he drove her to the remote area with his crossbow, intending to kill and bury the dog, according to the Detroit Free Press. Gemma, however, took off after being shot. After searching his house, police didn’t see a Pug. Prosecutors are expected to charge the man this week.
Gemma, shockingly, is expected to be OK after the ordeal, and Lapeer County Animal Control Chief Officer Aimee Orn said her office has received dozens of calls from people wanting to adopt the dog. First, however, authorities have to persuade the owner to give up custody of the dog. Orn said the man hasn’t been charged yet because prosecutors are still reviewing the case.
While the image is shocking, the arrow narrowly missed Gemma’s brain and optic nerve, vets were able to remove the 18-inch arrow without further harming her. She only has one staple from the surgery, according to the Free Press.
“It’s a miracle,” Orn said. “It missed everything important by millimeters.”
“She’s doing great and starting to perk up.”
Orn expects the owner to give up custody, and once Gemma passes a test to check for aggressiveness with other dogs — and the sweet dog is expected to — she’ll be available for adoption. One of those lining up for the dog is the construction worker who found her. He visited Gemma the other day and said he’d like to adopt the dog, so Orn moved him to the front of the list.
“I think he deserves that much,” Orn told told the Free Press. “She’s gonna make someone a great dog.”
In investigating the case, authorities spoke to relatives and neighbors of the owner and heard some other stories about why he might have shot the dog, such as the fact that Gemma defecates in the house and runs through the neighborhood.
“Regardless, there are too many other options these days if you don’t want a dog other than taking it out in a field and shooting it,” Orn said.
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