ATCHISON, KS (KCTV) -
A cruel act that outraged many in Atchison, KS, sparked an outpouring of support for a dog shot in the face. There is a new online push to find the recovering dog a home.
Rosco, a boxer mix, surprisingly survived being shot in the face and foot. It took about a month for doctors in Atchison to nurse him back to health. With the help of strangers in the community, he is ready to find a new home.
Rosco is the definition of a survivor and has a "heart of gold."
"He had crawled up to a home," Tanna Ross, an Atchison animal control officer, said.
Bleeding and swollen, he managed to drag himself to help. He shows his appreciation to Ross, an animal control officer, with slobbery dog kisses. Ross said she's appalled anyone could do what was done to Roscoe.
"It just breaks my heart, it just breaks my heart," she said.
The dog lost part of his upper jaw, and lost several teeth. Some of his tongue had to be removed because of the dead tissue.
"Rosco was in pretty bad shape," Dr. Shawn McCool with Cedar Ridge Veterinary Clinic, said.
McCool and his staff nursed Roscoe back to health with hydro therapy and antibiotics. While working to get the dog back to good health, they had to remove several shattered bones in his foot.
"He had a lot of tissue damage," McCool said.
Thanks to Ross, news of Rosco's case quickly spread online. The animal control officer posted a story about Roscoe online and it spread like wildfire, bringing in donations for Rosco's health care costs.
"We immediately received a lot of outpouring from the community," McCool said.
The community reacted by starting an online campaign to raise funds for Rosco's care. Now, the dog that was cared for by the kindness of strangers now needs a place to call home.
"Even though this happened at the hands of a human, he holds no grudges. He just loves every person he meets. He has a heart of gold. He deserves the best," Ross said.
Anyone interested in adopting Rosco must fill out an application. Those who are working with him said he loves other dogs, but cannot go to a home with cats.
For more information, email Tanna Ross at atchisonanimalcontrol@hotmail.com.
Rosco is receiving a heartworm treatment for three months. The cost of that treatment was covered by donations.
Officers are still searching for the person who shot Rosco in the face and foot.
Click here for the Atchison Animal Control's Facebook page.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) and Associated Press. All rights reserved.
