MORGAN COUNTY, IN (WXIN/CNN) - A 4-year-old chocolate Lab is getting back on his feet after being found shot and wounded on the side of the road.
Chopper, as the pooch is known, is recovering at a humane society in Morgan County, Indiana.
Chopper is persevering despite his circumstances.
"He didn't deserve this," said Jacque Kaufman with the Morgan County Humane Society.
Chopper was found on the street earlier this month after a passerby called the emergency animal control line.
He was rushed to the vet's office.
"The jaw had been blown apart. We later determined it had been a gunshot wound," explained Dr. Lisa Lembke with the Monrovia Equine and Small Animal Clinic.
After examining the wound, the doctor determined Chopper was likely struggling with this for three weeks in frigid conditions.
"Without treating the infection and the damage to his lower jaw, he would've died. He would've starved to death," Lembke said.
Now, Chopper is recovering from lower jaw amputation. While he's still playful and friendly, his life will forever be impacted by the violence inflicted upon him.
He will never be able to chew again.
"We make him a blended mixture of dog food so he's able to eat that successfully," Kaufman said.
"He always wears a bib now because he drools he doesn't have a lower jaw to catch the spit," Lembke added.
The dog's journey is bringing urgency to an effort to find the person who did this to Chopper.
"We're all pretty upset. We are offering a thousand-dollar reward leading to arrest of the individual responsible for this," Kaufman said.
The humane society is hoping the reward will help find the person who shot Chopper.
The organization is also trying to find Chopper a permanent home.
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