Back from the dead! Pit bull who was found shot and abandoned on mountain adopted by hero mother who found and saved him
- Andi Davis and her family adopted injured dog she found on morning hike
- Mother to be presented with award for rescuing animal
An early morning hike turned into a rescue mission for an Arizona mother after she stumbled across a dog that had been shot and abandoned on a mountain.
Andi Davis had walked about half a mile up a Phoenix trail on Friday last week when she found a black and white dog close to death. Although she was nervous of him at first, Mrs Davis lifted the 47lb pit bull into her arms and carried him to safety - and a new, secure life with her family.
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Rescue: Andi Davis and her family have adopted the pit bull she saved from death on a Phoenix mountain
Although she is fit, it took nearly an hour for Mrs Davis to reach her car with the wounded dog, who she constantly reassured as she made the descent.
'I looked down and there's this dog laying there he's not moving,' Mrs Davis, who had been scared of pit bulls, told Fox 10.
'I realized I have two choices. I can try to help this animal or run down the mountain to try to get help.'
After gingerly approaching the dog, she offered him a drink from her water bottle and then carefully carried the injured animal to the road, where she was met by her husband and daughter.
'When my mom found our new dog on the mountain, my heart broke at the first sight of him,' Mrs Davis' daughter, Jessi, said.
'He was torn up. Everywhere,' the 10-year-old, who has named the dog Elijah, told WKTR.
It is not known how long the two-year-old dog had been left on the mountain, but when he was examined by vets at the Arizona Humane Society, Elijah had an open abdominal wound, bullet fragments near his spinal cord and bullet in his neck.
Near death: When Andi found the dog he was collapsed and barely able to move
Injuries: One of the bullet wounds, above, that were found on Elijah who had been left to die on a mountain
Humane Society spokesman Bretta Nelson said it was unlikely that the person responsible for harming Elijah will be found, and said as of yet no witnesses have come forward.
Despite his ordeal, Elijah is settling into his new life with the Davis family and their other dogs.
He has developed a special bond with Jessi, and Ms Nelson said he responded to the young girl as if 'they had been best friends their whole lives'.
Mrs Davis added that when her daughter first met the dog, after he had been carried off the mountain: 'Her heart melted and he looked up and gave her a kiss.'
Jessi told AZ Central: 'Mom had him in her arms, and then he looked at me, and I was like, "Is this dog going to bite?" And I looked in his eyes - I could tell, I could just tell that he was a nice dog.'
Best friends: Jessi says the first time she saw Elijah she knew he was a good dog
The mother is now to be recognized for her rescue efforts with a Compassionate Action Award from animal rights group Peta.
'Thanks to Andi Davis' heroic actions, Elijah hasn't just survived being cruelly shot and left to die - he is now thriving in his loving new home,' Peta's executive vice-president Tracy Reiman said.
The group is also offering a reward of $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for harming the dog.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2477411/Hiker-carries-dog-safety-shot-left-mountain.html#ixzz2iqOjmrOO
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