Miracle Dog Recovering After Gunshot to the Face, Police Still Looking for Suspects

After surviving a gunshot to the face during a home invasion, veterinarians are calling 12-year old Black Lab, Polo, a ‘miracle dog’.

“It looked like a bomb had gone off,” veterinary dentist Dr. Don Beebe told FOX31 of the injuries to 12-year old Polo’s mouth after the senior dog was shot during a home invasion.

According to police, burglars broke into Polo’s Englewood, Colorado home late Monday night and shot the senior pup in the face before leaving the seriously injured dog alone to die.

When Polo’s family returned home early Tuesday morning, they discovered their home had been burglarized and, miraculously, found their beloved family dog still alive, but in serious condition.

“You just felt so bad, this sweet black Labrador suffering injuries of this extent,” Beebe said.

Polo arrived at VRCC Emergency Hospital around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Initial x-rays showed a shattered jaw, several teeth shot away, her tongue nearly ripped in two, and shrapnel throughout her mouth.

“We had to go in and remove the tooth fragments, the metal shrapnel embedded deep within tissues,” Beebe said. “Her poor tongue was almost ripped in two, but there was enough left to salvage.” Further x-rays revealed bullet fragments had traveled all the way to her stomach.

Despite the severe, life-threatening injuries, the team says Polo has remained resilient and in good spirits, even wagging her tail for veterinarians and staff during treatment.

The bullet nicked one major artery and narrowly missed another that, if severed would likely have caused the miracle dog to bleed to death before being found.

“Yeah, it is a miracle,” emergency veterinarian Taylor White said. “She’s lucky that it went just through her nose and into her mouth, and not near her brain or anywhere else where she could have long-term consequences.”

Polo has had two extensive reconstructive surgeries and veterinarians and her family are hopeful that she’ll fully recover from her injuries. The family have created a GoFundMe page to accept donations to pay mounting surgical bills of more than $10,000 and to provide updates on her condition.

Greenwood Village Police still have not located a suspect who, they believe, also attempted to break into a home that same evening a quarter-mile away from Polo’s home.

Anyone with information about those responsible is urged to call the Greenwood Village Police Department at (303) 773-2525.