11-year-old’s support dog, Oso, is adapting to his new life after being shot
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TETON — Months later, a dog that was shot and left with no eyesight is adjusting to his new life.
“He is doing really great, actually. He is doing a lot better than what the vet expected,” said Keli Huskinson.
Huskinson and her family live in Teton. Her son Gideon has autism and his dog, Oso — a four-year-old Australian shepherd poodle mix — helps support him.
After the shooting incident that happened in June, Gideon now helps Oso too.
“It’s a new relationship for both of them, so Oso still is an emotional support dog for Gideon but now Gideon is kind of like a helper for the dog but it’s deepened their relationship,” said Huskinson.
On June 6, Oso left the family’s yard. A gunshot was heard and Gideon went looking for him. He found Oso covered in blood and it was traumatizing for him. He picked him up and carried him back to the house. Click here to read the previous story.
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Huskinson took him to a veterinarian in Rexburg and learned Oso had been shot with a shotgun. An X-ray showed there were hundreds of pellets in his body.
“He got groomed for the first time a couple of weeks ago and like two days later, we had a whole bunch of bb’s that were just coming out of his fur,” she said. “Now that he is healing up, the bb’s are starting to come out. They are coming to the top of his skin.”
She’s found anywhere from 20 to 50 coming out of his body. She saved the pieces and brought it to the vet to make sure Oso wasn’t harmed by lead poisoning. He was not, and he should live well past 10 years.
“For the circumstances, I think we have the best outcome that could have happened,” Huskinson said.
Gideon continues to love his dog. Oso is playing and thriving.
“(Gideon) is teaching him new tricks, so right now, they are working on rolling over. It’s small things that they do. Gideon was super excited when Oso could start getting back up on his bed because they sleep together,” Huskinson said. “We are just adjusting to learning how to play and relearning how to go on walks.”
She told EastIdahoNews.com they have gotten new toys for Oso that are scented. It’s a way for him to find the toys easier. He now has a dog treadmill to help him, too. Before he got shot, he was a very active dog.
“We were noticing that he wasn’t getting the exercise he needed, so we got him a doggy treadmill and so now he gets hooked up to it, and he can run like he used to. He has a harness,” she said. “He gets super excited for the treadmill.”
As for the shooting incident, Huskinson reported it to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office back in June. At that time, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Bart Quayle told EastIdahoNews.com a deputy responded and there were no current suspects.
Sheriff Len Humphries told EastIdahoNews.com on Friday that no suspect has been caught, and more evidence needs to come forward to pursue the case further. He asks that if anyone knows anything, to please call the sheriff’s office at (208) 624-4482.
Huskinson’s family is staying positive after what happened to Oso.
“We are just trying to move forward and do the best that we can for Oso. It’s one of those times where it’s not good to hold on to the anger, the hate or the why’s,” Huskinson said.
She added that she is grateful for the support she has received from everyone who has learned about Gideon’s dog. There have been donations that have poured in for medical expenses and new sensory dog toys for him on their GoFundMe page.
“We got a lot of donations on the GoFundMe, and it was overwhelming. A lot of the community and people would just randomly show up and say, ‘Hey we are here for you guys. If you need anything, let us know,'” she said. “The absolute outpouring from the community … it still astonishes me just how much love there was.”