An unsettling incident at a Cincinnati animal shelter has the local community concerned and the authorities seeking leads. Early on a Thursday morning, staff at Cincinnati Animal CARE found a female bulldog, suffering from a gunshot wound, tied up to the shelter's gate, according to WLWT. The dog, named Apple Butter in reports by FOX19, has distinctive features with a brown and white coat and short legs, as seen in photos posted online by the shelter.
Amanda Gilbert, the medical director for Cincinnati Animal CARE, aware that the situation required immediate attention, told LOCAL12, "I'm just glad that somebody was here this morning and was able to recognize that we were going to be in trouble soon and that we had to do some life-saving stuff pretty quickly to keep her alive. So, she's pretty lucky that it all went down that way." Having been found bleeding from her abdomen, the canine's injuries were serious and required immediate medical intervention.
Surveillance footage from the scene revealed a dark-colored sedan leaving after the dog was tied up around 6:15 a.m., but the image was unclear due to fog. Lisa Colina, senior manager at Cincinnati Animal CARE, hoping to unearth more clues, mentioned to LOCAL12 that they've reached out to CPD for additional camera footage from the area's surrounding intersections.
The shelter has since been providing Apple Butter with emergency, lifesaving care, making efforts to stabilize and heal her from the gunshot wound to her abdomen. The community is being requested by the shelter to help with any information that could lead to making sense of this deplorable act, as told by the staff to WLWT. Anyone with knowledge about this incident is encouraged to come forward and assist the investigation, hoping to shed light on why someone would harm an innocent animal and leave it in such a critical state.
