Dog shot in head, bullet in neck in DC; $5K reward offered

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) said it was offering a reward after someone shot a dog in the head in Southeast.

HRA said it received a call about the incident on Sept. 13.

A young tan and white pitbull-type dog named Louisa returned to her home around 8 p.m. that day after she strayed from it two days earlier (Sept. 11) near the 3300 block of Ely Pl. SE. When Louisa got home, she appeared to have a gunshot wound between her eyes.

Her family took her to an emergency veterinary hospital. Staff members X-rayed her and found that she had a bullet lodged in her neck.

HRA Humane Law Enforcement Officers met the family and took Louisa to another emergency hospital for advanced diagnostics to determine the scope of the injuries. Veterinarians think the bullet entered between Louisa’s eyes and grazed her tongue before it went through her throat and ended up in her neck. She had a number of facial fractures and her throat was swollen, making it difficult for Louisa to breathe.

Veterinarians removed the bullet without operating and treated her throat. As of Tuesday, Sept. 17, Louisa was being montiored. Veterinarians expected her to make full recovery. HRA said it planned to reunite her with her family soon.

Humane Law Enforcement officers at HRA said they were working to find the person or people responsible for shooting Louisa. A reward of up to $5,000 was available for information in the case.

Officers said they were looking for anyone who may have heard gunshots, seen Louisa, or noticed anything unusual near the 3300 block of Ely Pl. SE from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13 to call 202-723-5730, and select Option 3.

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