O n a recent Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call about a stray dog that was found with a gunshot wound to the face. Now, when you hear the words “gunshot wound” and “face” you tend to think of the worst. And, the Animal Control officer that was relaying the information had not actually seen the dog, nor could she give me any more details about the condition of the dog other than it was on its way to the Humane Society with a sheriff’s deputy.  

On my drive over to OPHS, I was wondering what I could possibly be seeing when I got there. How injured is it? Was the dog savable? Why was this dog shot? Is it aggressive or extremely ill? Where did this dog come from? Does it have an owner? Was it an accident? Perhaps this injury was not even a gunshot at all? The possibilities were numerous!  

Upon arriving at OPHS, I was incredibly relieved to see a bright and happy dog with only a relatively minor wound through the cheek. There was some obvious swelling, as well as a visible