Frankfort, KY (WDRB-TV, Fox 41) -- It's a tale of two bullets: Bullet, the two-year-old Dalmatian full of energy as he runs in the Cherokee dog park, and a tiny .22-caliber bullet that nearly ended his life.
"You really do wonder why," says Mary K with The Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia, "what would compel somebody to hurt an animal like that?"
The road back to recovery for the pup started on a dirt road just outside of Frankfort. Franklin County Animal Control found the Dalmatian lying on Bates Road on April 15th. He had wounds all over his face and they were infected. It wasn't until the dog arrived at a local shelter that a vet noticed he had been shot in the face.
"Started digging around and pulled out a bullet. They were pretty surprised," says Mary K.
It appears another bullet, possibly from a shotgun or rifle, grazed the dog just under his eye. He also was severely malnourished, with his ribs and backbone visible through his spotted coat. Mary K took Bullet in a week ago. His physical wounds are barely visible, but emotionally he's still timid.
"Still tends to be a little shy around men," says Mary K. "Women and kids he's really, really taken to and our other dog, they are just inseparable now."
There is one thing Mary K wants to change -- his name. "Every time I would say 'Bullet,' I would think of that. It would have a negative connotation," says Mary K.
The Humane Society is offering a $2500 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever shot Bullet. Mary K, in the meantime, hopes to make the Dalmatian a member of her family.
