Triumphant Dog Recovers From Being Shot And Hung Off A State Bridge

By Mae Rice in News on May 5, 2016 6:50PM

A Labrador mix named Bear is on the road to recovery after he was found horrendously injured and hanging from a bridge in Ford County, IL, according to University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. As of Tuesday he required around-the-clock care at the hospital, but he was "eating very well" and recovering while police continue to investigate his egregious animal abuse case.

Dr. Maureen McMichael, head of emergency and critical care for small animals at the hospital, also noted that Bear "is now sleeping outside of his cage on a huge dog bed/blanket at night, surrounded by students and technicians petting him."

This comes after news last week, reported by the Tribune, that Bear had started wagging his tail.

Bear's care is covered by a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $21,000. It's original funding goal was $5,000.

When Bear was first found on April 20, he had been shot, his jaw was shattered and his muzzle was taped shut. The man who found him, Mark Gillespie, told the News-Gazette that Bear was "barely alive" and that someone had clearly "beaten the crap out of him."

Gillespie, the man who found Bear, lives next door to the couple that owns Bear, he told the News-Gazette. Their names have not been shared publicly.

Ford County Sheriff's Lt. Curt Miller questioned the couple, who said that Bear had been missing since the night before he was found; Miller told the News-Gazette that "neither showed any concern about the dog's well being."

The criminal investigation is ongoing.