In April 2012 a dog (nicknamed ‘Bob’ by his rescuers) was found nearly starved, and left for dead in bushland with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
Bob was brought into Donnybrook Animal Health Center by the local ranger. Veterinarians and staff didn’t think he would survive;
“He was unable to stand, he had injuries to his head and eye, and he was very, very weak – on the brink of starvation,” said (vet nurse Renee Margetts)
An x-ray showed a significant amount of shrapnel in his head. Unable to remove it, staff tried to make the dog as comfortable as possible, until they believed he would inevitably die.
But they were amazed by this dog’s will to live;
“The first few days, every day we went in we were surprised to find him alive. Being shot in the head twice is usually enough to kill any dog, so the fact he survived and hasn’t any significant injuries is amazing.”
Bob had lost the use of his right eye and likely deaf due his injuries, but despite his ordeal he was still a charismatic guy;
“Bob has become a staff favourite and somewhat of a mascot at the RSPCA,” (RSPCA WA spokesman Tim Mayne) said.
“He is a very friendly dog and wags his tail whenever he is approached. He is a real testament to the will power and amazing survival instincts of animals.
Just one month later in May, Bob would be the poster-dog for the RSPCA WA’s Million Paws Walk.
Bob the dog at the 2012 Million Paws Walk on the South Perth foreshore.
A few weeks ago he could barely stand, but this weekend, Bob the dog, will be putting his best paws forward.
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“The RSPCA would like to thank everyone who rang in and the kind offers of support. We have a long list of people to go through and we are hoping to find Bob a home soon.”
By July, Bob was dead. “Euthanised” by the RSPCA WA;
The very difficult decision to euthanase Bob on humane grounds was made following extensive consultation with veterinary specialists. Bob was sent for a CT scan which showed, what was described as, “catastrophic damage” to his head.
Unfortunately Bob’s condition deteriorated and he developed secondary medical complications from not only to the original gunshot injuries, but also the multiple gunshot fragments that were embedded deep in his skull, frontal sinus and surrounding tissues.
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Bob will be remembered with a memorial stone at our Malaga site.
There is no memorial for Bob. He was used for media and fundraising, but no stone was ever laid for him. Two years on his story has largely been forgotten – just another dog who survived his abuse, only to have his life taken by the RSPCA.
Great story, how sad he could be forgotten after ALL that he did to raise the profile of the RSPCA…..
So, do i have this right, Bob was thought to be doing well, and then the RSPCA saw that he was full of shrapnel, in his head and was it impossible to fix him?? I think that this is one of the saddest stories i have read on here, he went from the poster dog, to dead. And was there never any posts that he had died?
Beautiful dog. Dogs are the only animal that love you better than you can love yourself.
Oh i see, they say there is going to be remembered, and they forgot to remember him.
Typical of RSPCA. They unfortunately lost my monthly contribution in November 2012 after another “decision” based on so called expertise. I now solely support, both financially and physically, smaller animal welfare groups with more ethics than RSPCA. At least, if nothing else Bob didn’t die alone out in the bush.