OCONEE COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
A metro Atlanta family is distraught after someone opened fire on their black lab, hitting him three times. The shooter is still on the loose, and the family is trying to get the help they need for their dog.
Four-year-old Winston somehow got out of his fenced yard - and when he came back, he was bleeding so much his owner thought he'd been hit by a car.
Michelle Edwards rushed the dog to a nearby vet for emergency help.
"I'm still in shock that somebody would stoop to the level of shooting an animal," said Edwards.
Edwards spent more than $1,200 in vet bills since last weekend, and surgery is so expensive they may have to let Winston heal naturally - meaning he'll forever walk with a limp.
"They want him to have a surgery that's like $5,000," said Edwards. "Of course I don't have the funds for that."
Edwards' kids give Winston lots of love, thankful he's alive. But mom worries whoever shot him could take aim at someone else's pet.
"They just need to think if they had an animal, or even if it was their child, because some people's animals are like their children, how would they feel if somebody did this to them?" asked Edwards.
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office is looking into leads, but they still need your help. If you have any information, you're urged to call police.
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