Warning: some of the following photos are very graphic in nature/hard to see
She’s not walking quite yet, but when she has the energy to stand up — and she *will* — she will be called a walking miracle.
Y’all please meet Daisy. My daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with her earlier today. She’s an adorable and oh-so-sweet golden retriever (or retriever mix) who was apparently shot at point-blank range earlier this week in Statesville. A bullet pierced the muscle in her right shoulder, traveling through her body and close to her heart and shattering her left shoulder.
Whoever shot her was clearly aiming to kill, but Daisy somehow survived, and it appears she was able to run away. She was picked up by Iredell County Animal Services and taken to the county animal shelter.
It was there that Providence stepped in.
“I just happened to be at Animal Control signing paperwork for other pets we pulled when I was told about (Daisy),” Jason Benge, president and founder of Piedmont Animal Rescue (PAR) in Mooresville, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “(Daisy) was shot with a high-powered gun … not a pellet or BB gun. You can see the projectile still lodged in her shoulder.”
Jason is known for taking on some of the tougher animal cases in the county — to give those animals a much-deserved second chance at a loving, fulfilling life. “This is one of the big reasons I volunteer for Piedmont Animal Rescue,” said Lynn Gullett, PAR’s dog coordinator. “Jason has such a big heart for these animals. He doesn’t just take in the highly adoptable pets. He takes in the medical cases and the seniors and tries to do right by them all.”
Jason took Daisy to PAR’s partner veterinarian, Lake Norman at Mooresville Animal Hospital, on Tuesday morning for surgery. The procedure took longer than expected, and by the end of it, Daisy’s front left leg had to be amputated. 
Daisy spent the night at the animal hospital and was discharged to PAR today, where she spent the day resting and receiving lots of love before being picked up by her foster family.
While Daisy has healing to do in her right shoulder where the bullet went through her muscle, Jason said he expects Daisy to bounce back quickly and walk again very soon. “Dogs are so resilient,” he said.
PAR doesn’t have a shelter and depends solely on foster families and donations to save dogs like Daisy. The non-profit currently owes $4,180 for Daisy’s surgery. 
As most of you know, I’m a puppy foster for PAR, and all these babies are important to me. But cases like Daisy’s warrant special attention. If you have it in your heart and/or wallet to contribute to help offset the expenses for saving this precious girl, please consider making a donation in one of the following ways:
www.piedmontanimalrescue.com/donate
http://petlover.petstablished.com/onli…/organization/99949
paypal.me/piedmontanimalrescue
Venmo (@PiedmontAnimal)
CashApp ($piedmontanimalresq)
Or by mail at 228 East Waterlynn Rd, Mooresville NC 28117
