ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- It's a race against the clock for Dacota, a 3-year-old Australian Shepard attacked and gored by a wild boar. The boar's tusks puncturing the dog's abdomen, and possibly its vital organs, so surgery to save his life is underway.
Tom Miller is Dacota's owner, and a Tampa firefighter. His wife called him at work at 6 a.m. She was frantic. What Tom saw when he got home, he said, was horrific. "It was very upsetting. He was covered in blood. He was stiff, and even when he moved, he would wail in pain. It was really bad because he's such a sweet dog," he said.
Dr. Juliet Gladden is overseeing Dacota's surgery, and described the urgency. "The liver, stomach, spleen live on that side, but a lot of those things we can take pieces out of to close holes. So so far, so good," she said.
The cost of emergency surgery can run into the thousands. It's not money Tom and his family have, so the pet charity Frankie's Friends stepped up to help. Tom, his wife, and his two boys are very close to Dacota and are hoping for a miracle.
"I'm gonna be honest with you, without Frankie's Friends this probably wouldn't have happened because we probably would have had to have him put asleep," he said.
If you would like to help Tom's family with a donation to help cover the cost of Dacota's surgery, you can do so by going to FrankiesFriends.com or contact the Tampa office of Blue Pearl Emergency Clinic at 813-933-8944.
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