DENVER — A dog that was reportedly shot after living on the Denver streets for months has been found and is recovering from his injuries.
Denver Animal Shelter said in a release Friday that the stray dog had been on the run since April. Denver Animal Protection officers had received a number of calls about him from all over the city, the release said.
Officers had set traps for him, but they were unable to catch the dog because he is extremely smart, very evasive and skittish, the shelter said.
The shelter said that on Thursday, Denver Police received a report that the dog had been shot. Animal protection officers were trying to find him so he could get the medical care he needed.
On Saturday night, the shelter said the dog had been captured in a trap with the help of some good Samaritans.
On Sunday afternoon, Denver Animal Shelter provided an update that the dog went to Animal Urgent Care Saturday night and received pain medications and antibiotics. When presented to the shelter Sunday morning, he was bright and alert.
The shelter said that he had bloody saliva coming from his mouth and the right side of his face was swollen. They sedated him to perform an oral exam and get x-rays. The shelter found a 2 centimeter circular wound on the right side of his face and mouth. The dog also had a large wound on the inside of mouth towards the back and the right mandible is fractured.
Several teeth were also fractured and removed from the dog's mouth. The shelter also removed two metal pieces from the lower jaw and was able to confirm the removal with a x-ray.
The main concern currently is the fracture of his right lower mandible and how it will heal.