Today, let’s meet the terrier, Bubbles, who was a small puppy when she was abandoned at the shelter after being shot in the head. Despite suffering from such a painful past, luckily, she had a chance to meet her now-doting parents, who gave her a second chance in life.
Bubbles was dumped at the shelter when she was a puppy, only six months old. Her jaw was shattered, and she was unable to eat at that time. Her condition was not good, and abundant care and love were required to help this poor little dog. Fortunately, Kilyn Horton, 50, and Francisco Muldoon, 55, who then became Bubbles’s doting owners, appeared.
The couple discovered the puppy at Houston Pets Alive in Texas while volunteering there. And right when they witnessed the terrible case of the little dog, they immediately took her in and nurtured her back to health. Despite her terrible health conditions in the past, she is now making a remarkable recovery in the loving hands of her new family.
To share the transformation of the little dog with people around the world, her doting owner documented her journey on Instagram, where the puppy quickly boasted 18,000 followers.
Kilyn, who owns a mobile dog grooming business with Francisco, shared that when she first saw the pain Bubbles had endured, she knew she had to take her home. Kilyn said: “She looked so sad and lonely when we first saw her. She paced around her crate, and as soon as we opened the door, she buried her little head into my chest.”
“She just wanted to be loved. There was an instant connection and we knew there and then that we had to have her.” Kilyn also shared.
The couple brought her back to their Houston home for care at their neighborhood veterinary clinic, Sugar Land. Through a serious health check, X-rays revealed a 9mm shell was still lodged in Bubble’s skull, and vet Dr. Matt Sherwood discovered the bullet had destroyed her right ear canal.
Kilyn said: “We also noticed she was having trouble eating. It turned out that after surviving the shooting, she’d been beaten with a hammer.”
It was truly heartbreaking, and that was also the reason for all the difficulties in her daily activities. “Her right jaw joint had been shattered and the damages bones had grown into a calcified lump as they healed.” shared the couple “‘Bubbles could only open her mouth about half an inch. It’s amazing that she could get any food down at all.”
In the end, it took three and a half hours to remove a portion of Bubbles’ lower jaw, and after removing the bullet, the vets gave the police the item for forensic analysis. Along with having her ear canal removed, she also had her right ear stitched shut. After another round of surgery, the remnants of the damaged eye were removed, and her right socket was sewn up.
Kilyn said: “It’s been a long and painful journey for Bubbles to this point, but she has shown everyone she comes into contact with nothing but love. She just wants people to come and say hi so she can cuddle up to them.”
The owner said Bubbles never lets her injuries slow her down and urged others to consider taking in dogs that need extra care.
She added: “There’s a lot of cruelty out there in the world, but we want people to know that if they come across an injured or mistreated shelter dog, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re broken.”
“Sometimes they’re just scared – all they need is a little love, and they have plenty to give in return.”
