A dog is recovering in Manatee County after animal services officials tell News Channel 8 that he was shot in the face late last week.
A rambunctious Gabriel put on a show Tuesday for television cameras.
The dog is playful, affectionate and seems to really enjoy people. Sadly, the actions of people are what landed the year-old pitbull at animal services in the first place.
A person in a neighborhood, not far from I-75 in Palmetto, spotted the injured dog wandering the area and called for help.
“Upon first appearance, the dog was covered in blood, so it was really hard to tell that, what the exact injuries were,” said Hans Wohlgefahrt, outreach and event specialist for Manatee County Animal Services.
Vets determined the dog had been shot. The bullet entered the dog’s right cheek, hit his tongue and went into his jaw bone.
“I hate to say it, it’s the times. Things aren’t the way they should be,” said Glenn Schierer, who lives in the neighborhood where the dog was found last Thursday.
Gabriel, who got his name from the officer who helped him, Gabriel Bertolino, is still a little sore, but healing.
Animal control officials must now try to find who shot the dog and figure out why.
In the meantime, the dog is living the pampered life at animal services until his owners are found or he’s adopted.
“It’s sad,” Wohlgefahrt said. “We are all animal lovers. We have devoted ourselves and we have hundreds of volunteers here who love these animals. We do everything we can to give them a good life. Hopefully, we can turn things around and give Gabriel a good life,” he said.
