South Nashville dog survives 3 bullet wounds

On Sunday Phil Yochum rushed to his South Nashville home to find his 7-year-old dog, Annie, hit by three bullets and suffering from multiple severe bone fractures.

On Tuesday the blue tick-Pyrenees mix had her first set of surgeries to try to bring her back to recovery. The surgery is the optimistic part for Nashville veterinary specialists; her healing is the biggest concern.

“We need her body to cooperate with us in a lot of ways, and none of the ways are guaranteed,” said veterinary surgeon Dr. Trey Calfee.

While Yochum was at a friend’s house, police suspect an intruder came into his home from the basement and went upstairs, where Annie lunged at him. The intruder unloaded eight rounds of .45 caliber ammunition and then fled.

“She took one in the chest and it exited the chest on the side by the ribs,” Yochum said. “That’s the bullet that should have killed her. By the grace of God it did not enter her chest cavity.”

Annie will be hospitalized for at least the rest of this week, plus follow-up appointments, so Yochum created a GoFundMe account to help pay the bills.

The community response has been positive, with more than a third of the $15,000 goal raised in less than 24 hours.

“It’s a very hard decision to jump in to what’s going to be $10,000-plus worth of work, and maybe have a dog’s life at the end of that,” Yochum said.

The fractures in both right legs are severe, although veterinarians will try to use a stint to help the front one heal. Calfee said while dogs with three legs live to be “very happy dogs,” it is “atypical for a dog to tolerate only having two functional legs.”

“Our thought process is to make sure we give her at least three good legs,” Calfee said. “We’re cautiously optimistic.”

But Yochum also remembers his dog’s bravery and grip on life.

“She’s a tough spirit,” he said.

To help with Yochum’s veterinarian hospital bills, visit www.gofundme.com/Save_Annie.