Missing dog found with gun shot wound to the face

A missing dog has been found nearly three weeks after disappearing from home but with a gunshot wound to the face.

Veterinarians say the 4-year-old German Shepherd, Zelda, was shot in the face and was in rough shape.

Ashlie DeLorge, Zelda's owner, says she was found less than two miles from home after posting several flyers all over Fuquay-Varina.

"I dropped to my knees and I grabbed her and I just started bawling my eyes out," said DeLorge.

She received a call Thursday that her beloved dog, Zelda, was found by Darien Street and Clarissa Andrews.

Street said he followed the dog and found her hiding underneath a house.

"She looked like she was in a lot of pain," said Street. "She had an infection, there were a lot of gnats and it was a hot day."

Yet, upon finding her, DeLorge, happiness turned to horror when she saw Zelda's state.

"I saw the wound on her face and that is the thing that stood out to me because you could see her teeth and her tongue and it was so bad," said DeLorge.

She rushed Zelda to the vet, who thinks the dog was likely shot in the face just inches below her eye.

"She found that there was a lot of shattered area in there, there's shattered bone, there's the bone that's messed up," said DeLorge.

Zelda has a long road of recovery ahead, she dropped a tremendous amount of weight from 65 pounds to 47.

She currently is unable to eat or drink anything and has to be fed through a tube inserted into her neck.

"Right now there's talk of a partial mandibulectomy to remove part of her jaw," said DeLorge.

And the vet bills are piling up.

"Right now this is just the estimate. It started at $1500, went to $8000 and now it's about $12,000 and we're hoping that's where it stays," said DeLorge.

She says Zelda loves car rides and the dog park and while never knowing what happened to her, she remains resilient and loving.

"She's actually my emotional support dog and has had my back these past four years and I promised her I have your back," said DeLorge. "I'm not going to let you go. "

There is a Gofundme for Zelda's vet bills if any person interested in donating.