A second dog has been found shot in the same Eight Mile neighborhood within days, prompting animal rescuers to ask the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office to investigate a troubling pattern in the community.
The latest dog, an 8-month-old pup now named Chance, was discovered suffering from a gunshot wound to his face and was rushed to a local veterinary clinic for treatment. Veterinarians determined Chance suffered a broken jaw and will require orthopedic surgery to recover. The injuries left him in worse condition than the first dog found shot in the same ditch off Vergos Drive just days earlier.
That first dog, a female now named Wish, was found in the same location and is believed by veterinarians to be Chance’s littermate. Wish was well enough to be released into foster care with a local rescue organization the same evening she was found. The rescue group that took in both dogs, Dale’s Den Rescue, said the area is known to be home to a number of stray and loosely supervised dogs, making it hard to say for certain how the animals ended up injured in the same spot.
Local news outlets reported that a third dog, a female named Bonnie, was found shot roughly 100 yards from where Chance and Wish were discovered, deepening concern among rescuers that the shootings may not have been isolated incidents. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office has been notified and the rescue organization says it is working with law enforcement as the case develops.
Community members have rallied to support Chance’s recovery, with rescuers setting up a fundraising page to help cover the cost of his surgery. The rescue group said it plans to carefully screen potential adopters for both dogs once they are healthy enough to be placed in permanent homes.
The back-to-back shootings have unsettled residents in the Eight Mile area, an unincorporated community in Mobile County, and renewed attention on stray animal welfare and safety in the neighborhood. Rescue volunteers say they hope increased visibility of the case will help deter further harm to animals in the area and encourage anyone with information to come forward to investigators.
As of the latest update, no arrests had been announced in connection with the shootings, and the investigation into who is responsible for injuring the three dogs remains open.