MIAMI – A teenage boy was waiting to have his dog back while animal advocates were doing everything they could to save his pet’s leg after a shooting on Thursday in Miami’s Liberty City.
Jayden Sparks, a 14-year-old student, said he was devastated when his 14-month-old rottweiler Mellow was shot and didn’t come back home.
“I started crying a little bit — I love him,” Jayden said on Wednesday.
Jayden’s father, Clinton Lee, said he had let Mellow out when he heard a gunshot and saw him wounded. He rushed to take him to see a veterinarian.
“I left the hospital, vet hospital, I came home, I was home 3 hours and I called back and they sent the dog to animal control,” Lee said.
Dr. Maria Serrano, a veterinarian at the Miami-Dade Animal Services, said Mellow had a fractured forearm and some ruptured tendons.
“Generally, this is an injury in a shelter that’s complicated to repair,” Serrano said. “It requires a specialized surgeon and so normally we would amputate the leg.”
Serrano said these are the complicated cases that force her to reach out to the community’s “amazing rescue partners.” Cindy Mucciaccio, iHeart Animal Rescue in Broward County, asked the Brady Hunter Foundation for help so Mellow could get surgery at the Sunshine Animal Hospital.
Josh Fox, the foundation’s executive director, said they were happy to be able to save the dog’s leg and his quality of life. Mucciaccio said the surgery is about $5,000. Mellow is set to have his surgery next week in Pembroke Pines and Jayden and his family can’t wait to have him back home.