Dog pierced by arrow near Regina a year ago is now 'living the best life,' rescue group says
Arrow the dog has fully recovered, says CC rezQs co-founder
A dog that was shot with an arrow near Regina one year ago has fully recovered and is happily living in her new forever home, says the group that rescued the pup.
The female German shepherd cross was found in a community northeast of the city on Jan. 31, 2016, with large wounds from an arrow that had pierced her body near the shoulders.
A Regina-based animal rescue group, CC rezQs, took the injured dog to a veterinary clinic in Lumsden, Sask. for X-rays and emergency treatment.
A year later Arrow, as the dog is now called, has fully recovered and is living with the family who fostered her during her recovery, said Caillin Rodonets, a co-founder of CC rezQs.
"Arrow is doing great," Rodonets told CBC's Afternoon Edition on Tuesday. "She is, to say the least, living the best life that any dog could ever live."
Rodonets said staff were initially not sure if Arrow would suffer any long-term effects from the injury, as the arrow had missed her spinal cord by mere millimetres.
"Luckily, the arrow missed everything that it could going through her. So she is running, jumping, playing; she has absolutely no long-lasting effects from this," she said.
It's still not known how the dog was shot with the arrow, or if it was intentional. Rodonets said while CC rezQs initially received a photo of the dog with the arrow pierced through her body, the arrow had somehow disappeared by the time members arrived.
"By the time we had gotten out to her, the arrow was no longer in her, so we weren't able to locate the arrow," Rodonets said. "We had some people looking, but we just weren't able to find it."
Arrow's story inspired people across Saskatchewan and beyond, who helped raise more than $10,000 to cover the dog's veterinary bills.
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The money raised to support Arrow also helped CC rezQs with some other serious rescued animals around the same time.
"We tell our [donors] every penny that they donate to us, you know, we will stretch it as far as we can, and we were able to stretch that $10,000 a very long way," she said.
Rodonets said seeing Arrow make a full recovery is great news for CC rezQs.
"It really encourages us to keep doing what we're doing and reminds us why we started," she said.
"With so many people that are standing behind us and ready to believe in us and help us … there's no reason why we can't keep pushing forward and helping as many dogs as we can."