Polo is a sweet, gentle 12-year-old black Labrador Retriever with an amazing story to tell. According to Greenwood Village Police Department, Polo was home when a burglar broke into her family’s home. Instead of leaving the poor girl alone, the perpetrator shot her in the face. Polo’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle. She was rushed to VRCC Emergency Hospital around 9:00am on Tuesday, May 17th. There, she was treated for her extensive wounds.
The bullet completely shattered her jaw, blew out multiple teeth and nearly severed her tongue. “It looked like a bomb had gone off,” veterinary dentist Dr. Don Beebe told Fox 31. “We had to go in and remove the tooth fragments, the metal shrapnel embedded deep within tissues,” Dr. Beebe added. “Her poor tongue was almost ripped in two, but there was enough left to salvage.” Despite her injuries, Polo was in good spirits. Once she received pain medication, she was happily wagging her tail for everybody. She has successfully already had two reconstructive surgeries so far.
Polo was very lucky that the bullet only entered near her nose and far away from her eyes and brain. Even still, her recovery is amazing. “The path of the bullet narrowly missed two major arteries in her jaw bone, and she easily could have bled out and died, and it’s amazing that she’s still with us,” Dr. Beebe said. Unfortunately, police have still not caught the suspect. It’s one thing to be a burglar, but it’s another thing to shoot an innocent dog in the face. We have fingers and paws crossed that this criminal gets the punishment he deserves. Polo’s family have set up a GoFundMe account for those wishing to help cover her increasing veterinary bills.
