Anubis was taken to an emergency clinic in Clearwater to have the bullet removed.
Campbell Park pup survives a bloody break-in.
When Chip Watson got home from work one evening earlier this month, he found the place in shambles and a bloody bullet wound in the head of his dog Anubis.
Anubis is an 115-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, but he was just a puppy when Watson got him several years ago.
There had been a break-in at Watson’s house on 15th Street S in the Campbell Park neighborhood, and he hoped Anubis would help deter other would-be burglars.
The X-ray taken at showed the bullet fragment underneath the dog’s skin.
But the person – or persons – who broke in this time fired several shots, and one of them hit Anubis.
The big brown dog is more than a watchdog to Watson, who told the Tampa Bay Times that Anubis is practically a son.
Watson took Anubis to an emergency veterinary clinic in Clearwater, and the next day a bullet fragment was removed from his neck and turned over to St. Petersburg police, who hope they can trace it to the gun that fired it.
“Fortunately, the surgery was not very complicated,” said Carrie O’Brion, a spokeswoman for BluePearl Veterinary Partners. “The bullet was fairly close to the surface of Anubis’ skin and was fairly easy to remove. The entire procedure took about 45 minutes.”
Watson visited Anubis after the surgery.
“Yesterday, I spent the day in shock and hysteria,” Watson told BluePearl. “This morning, I was angry. Now I’m just glad that my dog is okay. It could have been much worse.”
Anubis went home the next day and is not expected to suffer any long-term effects from the wound. But the bill for his care is expected to cost about $10,000, according to BluePearl.
A national nonprofit pet charity called Frankie’s Friends is raising money for Anubis’ care, BluePearl said.
“He’s at home doing much better,” said USF St. Petersburg senior Hayley Brengle, Watson’s niece. “He’s still a little spooked, but his personality is coming back, he’s all slobbery kisses and love.”
Not all dogs are as lucky as Anubis.
“Sadly, we see gunshot victims fairly frequently at our BluePearl hospitals, according to our doctors. Sometimes we even see dogs who come in for unrelated problems and X-rays reveal they have been previously shot,” O’Brion said.
“Anubis was extremely fortunate. He was shot in the head, but thankfully the bullet did not penetrate the skull, which could have been fatal. It also missed the major arteries in that area. It could have easily been fatal if the trajectory had been a little different.”
The affable pooch made plenty of friends at the veterinary clinic, O’Brion said.
“Anubis is a very sweet, extremely loving and affectionate dog,” she said. “We all fell in love with him.”
Information:
People interested in helping pay Anubis’ medical bills can donate to the nonprofit Frankie’s Friends at: http://frankiesfriends.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=556
