11/06/2022
I’m sorry that I had to create a page to spread this message to the community in which I live and work.
*trigger warning*
The worst day I’ve had as Town of Persia Dog Control Officer and a terrible one as a human.
This afternoon I was alerted to an injured dog with no tags found loose on Snyder Hill Road at the edge of the Town of Persia.
When I arrived at the home of a Good Samaritan, I found the dog suffering from traumatic head wounds and initially guessed that it may have been struck by a human or vehicle. I rushed the female dog to Forrestville Animal Hospital and was met by an amazing after hours vet who began to triage the very calm, but obviously painful, young dog. She was scanned and had no identifying microchip. It quickly became obvious to us that she was not, in fact, beaten or struck by a car. It was much, much worse. From the type of injuries and the wound path, it became apparent that this poor girl was purposely shot in the face with the intention of killing her. She would have been sitting or standing mostly facing her shooter. She was shot by a small caliber weapon, most likely a .22, in the left eye, at an angle slight enough as to cut a circular chunk out of her lower eyelid and slip in directly between her eyeball and orbital bone, appearing, for now, to have left the eyeball in tact. The bullet stayed in front of the brain and traveled through the sinus cavity, erupting through the roof of her mouth through a finger-sized hole. It then continued through her mouth, severing the back of her tongue, and pushed under the rear of the jaw bone- breaking it. It then proceeded through the cheek tissues and out a nickel sized hole in her neck, taking shards of bone with it. She was anesthetized after a brief exam, and an X-ray showed bullet fragments around the fractured area of the jaw and the clear path of the bullet could be seen. The vet then confirmed with a swab and fingers during the procedure that there was indeed a clear bullet tract. She was given pain meds, anti-inflammatory medication, and antibiotics after being surgically repaired and hospitalized for observation and recovery.
Now, the reason I am making this post; I want to find the person who could look an animal in the face and pull the trigger. I want the person who thought that doing right by this animal and finding an alternate solution was not worth their time/ that looked in a one year old dog’s eyes and thought that this was the best they felt like doing. AND THEN LEAVE HER TO DIE WHEN IT WAS APPARENT THAT THEY DID NOT COMPLETE THE JOB. She found her way out of the woods looking for help from a woman working in her yard.
I want to know who did this. I want to know who thought this was ok. I want to make sure that this sorry excuse for a human being is punished and WILL NEVER have the opportunity to acquire another animal again. I want this person to be held accountable for the emergency vet bills that will now be put on our town. She will also need follow up care, she will need to be spayed, and she will need to be cared for in a foster situation while she is allowed to heal while a more permanent solution can be found. I do not yet know how she is with any other animals, people, or what kind of problems she will face in the future from this traumatic incident. She was in terrible pain when I got to her- and yet she was calm and trusting and allowed herself to be picked up and carried without so much as a moan. But, all of these things will require evaluation and time. It is all going to cost money. MUCH more money than re-homing would have cost.
Therefore, I am asking you, my friends and neighbors, to share this post EVERYWHERE… if you know anyone who had once owned a similar dog- saw a neighbor with a similar dog who now is gone- hear of anyone talking about this incident please LET ME OR SOMEONE FROM THE TOWN OF PERSIA KNOW!!! ALL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL. I am going to take up a collection for a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for this act of uncalled for cruelty. Thank you for reading this long and disturbing post- and thank you in advance for any information or help you can give to this sweet girl we have named “ALLIE”- short for “alligator”- an animal with a bulletproof skull and extremely tough skin to protect them from predators. 💗 Any information can be shared with any employee of the Persia Town Hall at 716-532-4042, the Town of Persia Dog Control Officer, Tammy Grimmer 716-432-0554, or the Gowanda Police.
*Anyone who can no longer care for, or is unable to keep their dogs for any reason- please reach out to the Persia Dog Control Officer. PLEASE- do not take these drastic measures. I will help however I can!!!!!
