SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Fahiyn Elison and his mother, Gloria Rosario, said they first saw the stray dog in their Homestead neighborhood a week ago. He was hungry and thirsty, so they fed him.
Days later, they heard the gunshot.
“He never was violent and never attacked nobody,” Elison said.
“He came to me for food, he was starved,” Rosario said.
The dog had been shot in the face when they saw him a few days after they heard the gunshot. They said he was alive but severely injured.
“He was in pain. He was in a lot of pain. It was a lot of blood,” Elison said.
Volunteers with IHeart Animal Rescue rushed the dog to Knowles Animal Clinic for treatment. He still has the bullet lodged in his neck.
“He’s in stable condition now, they had to put him on oxygen yesterday because he did have pneumonia,” said Cindy Mucciaccio with IHeart Animal Rescue.
The good Samaritans are now raising money to help pay for the dog’s veterinarian bills as they try to make sense of this senseless crime.
“If you could shoot a dog you could shoot a kid. That’s how I feel,” Elison said.
The shooting happened in the area of SW 268th Street and 128th Avenue. Anyone with information is urged to call MiamiDade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-8477.