WOODBURY, TN (WSMV) -
A dog is on the road to recovery after a shocking case of animal abuse. The boxer-mix was found beaten, shot and left for dead Wednesday night in Warren County.
Volunteers rushed the dog a vet's office in Woodbury, where doctors said it is one of the worst cases of animal abuse this area has seen in a while. But against all odds, little Corona survived, and her vet thinks she could make a full recovery.
"You see dogs that are shot all the time but not like this one," said Dr. Gayle Tate, with the Cannon County Animal Clinic.
Wednesday, Tate got a call about a dog found bleeding profusely about 45 miles away in nearby Warren County. Tate said she was beaten so badly you couldn't tell the extent of her injuries.
"We all about cried when we saw the X-rays. Her internal injuries in her mouth are some of the worst I've ever seen, and I've been doing this for 30 years," Tate said.
Someone not only beat the pup with a bat, but they also shot her in the mouth. The bullet shattered her larynx and lodged in her neck.
"Here's fragments and bigger fragments all up and down her neck," Tate said.
Sadly, Tate said it's not the first case of animal abuse in Middle Tennessee. In fact, he said he treated between five to 10 animals just this month alone.
"It takes some kind of cruel person to do something like this," Tate said.
Clay Lerch runs the Warren County Humane Society. Over the years, he's rushed a number of those abused animals, including Corona, to Tate's office.
"We've had dogs hit by cars left on the side of the road. We've had starving horses that died," Lerch said.
Lerch hopes this latest case will wake everyone up and ultimately stop the abuse.
"I hear all the time 'they're just an animal, it's a dog' - like they're some kind of disposable property you can just throw away. But they're not, they're a life," Lerch said.
A life, that in this case was saved.
Lerch said the Humane Society is working with the Warren County Sheriff's Office to catch whoever did this. Since word got out about Corona, donations have been pouring in.
Right now, there's a $8,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. If you have any information, call the Warren County Sheriff's Office.
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