WACO, TX — A dog that's been in and out of the Humane Society of Central Texas is back in the shelter again.
The mastiff-catahoula mix named Bo, was brought back last week for the second time this year. He arrived on April 17, underweight and with a bullet lodged in his chest.
"It's heartbreaking," said Rescue Coordinator Summer Garza. "It's just cruel beyond all belief. I couldn't imagine anybody ever doing that."
Garza first met Bo, short for Bodacious, when he arrived in January as a stray. Staff set him up with a trainer who could teach him basic commands and make him more adoptable.
The trainer ended up adopting Bo himself. Garza said he would bring Bo by the shelter to visit every so often.
Garza said the trainer then gave Bo to a different family. Somehow he ended up back on the streets, where he was picked up as a stray for the second time.
"He came in limping and the vet staff found that he had been shot with a .22," Garza said. "I called the trainer and told him what happened. He came up here and was visibly shaken, just as I was. He was overwhelmed with guilt."
Garza said the trainer reached out to the couple who took Bo in. They have been unresponsive.
The vet staff told Garza it wouldn't be safe to perform surgery since the bullet is too close to Bo's heart.
"He limps a little bit, but as you can see he doesn't let that stop him," Garza said.
Bo's heart is still beating, with a lot of love to give.
"Once you are his human, he will stick to you like glue," Garza said.
She describes Bo as a goofball. He's friendly, energetic and loves to play.
Garza wishes she could take Bo in herself, but she already has three dogs of her own.
She's fostering Bo until he can be with his forever family.
"It's going to take a special person for a special Bo," Garza said. "All animals have a second chance at life when they leave here, but Bo is like a cat with nine lives. To experience cruelty that way and for him to sit here and trust me, let me pet him, says a lot."
Garza said Bo is a fighter who will find his way home.
"The fact that he's still here, he has a bigger purpose," Garza said.
While Bo is up for adoption, Garza is asking potential adopters to wait 7 to 10 days for him to relax and put more weight on before taking him home.
Luis Leyva is the shelter manager at the Humane Society of Central Texas. We reached out to see ou what procedures they follow when taking in an animal that's been abused. We have yet to hear back from him.
If the animal wasn't shot in self-defense, Sgt. Patrick Swanton with the Waco Police Department said, the person responsible for hurting Bo could be charged with a third-degree felony. He said punishment for this crime ranges and is based off the severity of the offense.
He added that mistreatment of an animal, like poor living conditions or no access to food and water, could result in a class A misdemeanor.
If you're interested in adopting Bo, you can set up a meet-and-greet by calling the Humane Society of Central Texas at 254-754-1454.
If you ever feel threatened by a stray animal, you are asked to contact animal control rather than take matters into your own hands. Animal control can be reached at 254-750-1765.
