La Plata County Animal Protection is investigating the events that led to a dog being shot twice Sunday in Marvel.
“We’re working on it right now,” Director of Animal Protection Gary Skiba said in a phone interview Friday. “But we haven’t yet talked to all the folks possibly involved. Hopefully, officers will go out there (Friday).”
On Sunday evening, Cali, a 2-year-old pit bull/Labrador retriever mix, returned home to her owner, Gloriah Williams, bleeding profusely. The next day, a veterinarian determined that Cali had been struck by two bullets and urgently needed surgery.
Williams, who works at RiteAid, filed a report Wednesday. In the meantime, Williams and her boyfriend, Max Murchison, have struggled to collect enough cash to pay for Cali’s medical bills.
The veterinarian who treated Cali at Durango Animal Hospital estimated that the surgery, which was recommended to take place in Grand Junction, would cost about $2,200, Williams said. She said the veterinarian characterized the trauma as “the most extreme thing she’s seen in 25 years.”
Skiba said it is difficult to prove that an off-leash dog wrongfully was shot in the absence of human witnesses because the shooter can always claim that he or she perceived the dog posed an imminent threat to person or property, which is legal, and difficult for the dog to rebut in court.
Still, Williams said many people contacted her and Murchison after learning about Cali’s plight.
She said one of her neighbors donated $100 toward Cali’s surgery, and people with the organization Helping Hands said they thought they could raise $800 or $900 with the hope the veterinarians will perform the surgeries at a discount.
Williams said she didn’t know who had hurt her dog, or why. She admitted Cali could be rambunctious when interacting with people, other dogs and bicycles. But, she said, Cali has no history of aggression toward humans.
“Now, her condition seems stable. But she’s breathing out of a hole in her head, and she’s hurting pretty bad. Her leg is super-swelled-up, like a balloon. We’re at the park right now, and she’s watching all the birdies – so her brain is in OK condition. But her body is broken pretty bad,” Williams said Friday afternoon.
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
To help
The initial visit to Durango Animal Hospital cost $220, and the surgeries that Cali needs will cost $2,200, said Gloriah Williams, owner of the pit bull-mix.
To help, call Williams at (303) 898-0455 or email gmurc@hotmail.com or gloriahw1@gmail.com.
