A dog was found in a garbage bag tied to a fence on a quiet road fighting for its life after being shot in the face.

Tami Augustyn’s neighbor was driving down Bulldog Lane in Conroe Saturday morning when a contractor’s garbage bag was spotted tied to a t-post. The neighbor noticed the bag moving and stopped to investigate. Another neighbor had seen the bag on his way to work around 2:45 AM but thought it was just trash. When the bag was ripped open a wounded dog covered in blood crawled out and managed to walk about two yards before collapsing on the ground.

Neighbors called animal control, but got no response. That’s when they turned to Tami for help. Tami is known for rescuing distressed animals and immediately went to investigate once she received the call.

Tami knew all the veterinary clinics would be closing at noon on a Saturday and after seeing the condition the dog was in she took him to Animal Emergency Clinic of Conroe on West Dallas. Since the dog was completely covered in blood she initially thought it was a “Bait Dog”. It was later determined the dog had been shot in the face with buckshot in the middle of a cold night, shoved in a garbage bag, and left along the road to die.

Tami, who has dedicated much of her adult life to rescuing animals, isn’t surprised. “Dogs love unconditionally. You’ll never find anyone or anything that loves you like a dog. Why would you injure something like that? I don’t understand’, Tami said. She says people don’t care about their animals, they allow them to run free and don’t spay / neuter. Others dislike dogs and shoot them when they find them on their property.

Buck, as the dog has been named, is a mixed breed weighing 60-70 pounds and approximately 3 years old. Buckshot lodged in his face, neck, shoulders, mouth, gums and in his eyes. When Tami arrived at the clinic with the dog, he was suffering from hypothermia after spending at least 10 hours alongside the road in a garbage bag. Luckily, she got Buck there in time and Animal Emergency Clinic of Conroe was able to stabilize him. The clinic is a state of the art facility and has been providing after hours and weekend emergency care for wounded animals in the Conroe area since 1978.

Dr. Ron Hendrick, a Veterinarian with Animal Emergency Clinic of Conroe says he sees animals wounded as badly as Buck about once a month and injured animals on a daily basis. Dr. Hendrick said Buck is a sweet dog and his prognosis is good, but both the dog’s eyes contain buckshot and damage is most likely permanent. Buck shows signs of hearing loss and may have sustained brain damage that affects his mental capacity. Buckshot is usually removed from wounds, but not from the eyes. Buck will see a specialist Monday morning to help determine the extent of his vision loss. He will also be x-rayed to see why he is experiencing difficulty walking and moving.

Tami says Buck has perked up a little today and is able to lift his head but still can’t move properly. She faces rapidly increasing medical bills in her effort to save this dog. Current veterinary charges are estimated at over $3,000, and at least another $2,000 will be needed to continue providing specialized medical care for Buck. Tami is asking for donations to help with costs.

To make a donation:

· Call Animal Emergency Clinic of Conroe at 936.539.3800

· Donate via PayPal to [email protected]

A Facebook page “Buck Needs Bucks for his Buckshot Injuries” documenting pictures of his wounds and medical bills has been created.

https://www.facebook.com/Buckneedsbucks