How a castaway dog gets a second chance, meet Koa.

[caption id="attachment_770" align="alignleft" width="223"] Koa laying on the roadside where he was left to die, April 16th.


[caption id="attachment_771" align="alignright" width="300"] Koa traveling with us to our vet, April 17th.


On April 16th, we saw a picture on Facebook of a dog laying on the side of a road. We could tell that someone horrific had happened, leaving half of his face sagging. We suspected that he had been hit by a car in the road and had survived. Immediately we found folks via Facebook that went out to look for him but sadly, he was no longer there. This morning we decided to try the local animal control in hopes that he had been picked up. When we learned he was there, Britni's sister was kind enough to go pick him up and brought him to Jackson . We hit the road and 2 1/2 hours later we met Koa who despite his condition, he walked up to us with his tail wagging. That was surprising to us because we could smell the infection in his head and shoulder from a few feet away. What we also learned was that animal control had removed one bullet from his head. Koa had been shot two times, once in the forehead and once in his shoulder.  There was a third hole that we thought may have been another bullet wound and turned out to have been made by a canine tooth, going through his lip.  If that isn't awful enough, Koa also has a face full of bite marks. We suspect that Koa was possibly stolen, forced to fight for his life and wasn't a fighter so he was dumped on the roadside and shot. Whoever did this to him probably thought he was dead and just drove away, leaving him there like a piece of garbage. The injury to his jaw made it painful for him to eat and he was emaciated. Infection had long set in and bloody fluid leaked from his bullet holes. For the last couple of weeks, Koa has recovered at our vet and has made unbelievable progress.  Koa has a will to live and we want him to have the best care possible.  This wasn't planned in advance but we could not say no to this poor dog.   Koa we now know is heartworm positive and will need treatment before he can leave our care.

[caption id="attachment_772" align="alignleft" width="300"] Koa sedated so his wounds could be shaved and cleaned.


[caption id="attachment_773" align="alignright" width="300"] Koa, April 29th out for a walk outside of our vet's office.


As the days have passed and Koa has started to feel better, his spirit has slowly returned.  His wounds have healed so well that today's pictures make it hard to believe he is the same dog that we saved just under two weeks ago.  Koa gets a little more energetic and active each day which we are thrilled to see.  We have also noticed that with that, he also has some dog aggression issues which we are going to have to help him work through.  I have consulted a trainer and when Koa is healthy and heartworm free, he'll be going for a month to learn the skills needed to be a beloved pet.  He doesn't have to fight for his life anymore and we know this mental transition may be difficult but we will not give up on Koa.

Any donations towards his care are greatly appreciated.  Between his hospitalization, heartworm treatment, vetting and training, we are looking at a fairly large amount of money.  We feel that some dogs deserve the best after living the kind of horrible nightmare that was Koa's day to day life.  For those that would like to follow his progress, you can visit our Facebook page and updates are posted regularly to his album.  Donations for his care can be sent to TN Death Row Dogs, PO Box 1015, Spring Hill, TN 37174.