Protect Yennefer: Fund a Sturdy Fence

My dog, Yennefer, was shot. I don't know who did it, or why, but early this morning or last night, she escaped from the pen.

This morning around roughly 9 AM, we found her with puncture wounds on the top of her muzzle, right into her nasal cavity. Her nose was so full of blood she could barely breathe through it and she sounded like she was growling just trying to breathe.

My initial assumption was that it was an animal bite, like another dog or a coyote. Upon taking her to the vet, they believe she was shot, at close range, possibly with buckshot or a similar type of bullet due to finding multiple shards of what seems to be metal on her X-rays.

While I'm typing this, she is still at the vet and there is no 100% confirmation of just how bad the damage really is, if it's actually bullet parts, etc, however one thing is painfully clear.

We need a better fence. I'd been planning to get a better pen made with stronger and more durable materials for a good while now- the fence we have now is made of relatively cheap chain link panels, and she has managed to tear holes in the fence, dig under it, etc.

The problem with upgrading the fence is money. While before, I would have been prepared to wait until I could make enough to afford it via commissions, now it's looking more urgent- because if she's been shot, that means there is absolutely a risk of her being shot again if she were to escape the pen again.

She is very much not an "indoor dog" type of dog. She is very high energy and gets bored quickly indoors, and will become destructive quickly. Therefore, we have the pen, and we keep at least one of our other dogs out there with her so she has company. It's a pretty large pen, too, with plenty of space for her to run and play, there's shelter, etc. Ideally, I'd like to have a new fence built with just as much space, likely with something like retriever panels, which should be much sturdier than what we have.

While Yennefer was loose at the time she was shot, I am fully confident she did not pose any threat to whoever shot her. Shooting her could only have been an act of malice- Yennefer is the absolute sweetest dog I have ever interacted with. She adores everyone. The second she goes up to someone, she rolls right over and begs to be petted. She obviously has a collar clearly visible, especially right now with her summer coat, which is much shorter and the fluff doesn't hide it. Whoever shot her had to be staring her right in the face to get a shot like that, meaning they had to be close enough to know she was friendly, and someone's pet.

I am worried that if we don't get a better fence set up soon, she will continue to escape from the pen we have by tearing new holes in the fence- and if she gets shot a second time, she may not be lucky enough to survive it again.

As far as vet bills go, I do have CareCredit and pet insurance- which is why I am not asking for help for that part of the cost of all this, and rather just seeking to fundraise for the fence.

Once I get Yen back from the vet, and have them email me the X-Ray photos, I will add those, as well as the injury itself, to the fundraiser just so that proof is there.

UPDATE 5/22/24: First off, thanks to everyone who has donated so far.

Thankfully, Yen seems to be doing fine for the most part- nothing vital was hit. Unfortunately, though, the vet did not manage to flush out any of the metal that had shown up on X-rays.

Speaking of which, the vet finally sent me a copy of them, so here they are.