UPDATE @ 12:32 a.m. (Feb. 22): Chance, the chihuahua thrown from a moving truck this week near Troy in Miami County, is now at the Miami County Animal Shelter.
The dog has been released from the Troy Animal Hospital.
The dog, believed to be 2- to 4-year-old, is moving around, eating and doing a lot better, shelter and hospital officials told News Center 7’s James Rider on Friday.
Chance’s owner has signed the animal over to the shelter, which will adopt him out once he has fully recovered.
Authorities are still looking for the gray pickup truck that was carrying the dog when it was thrown out on state Route 41.
UPDATE @ 6:28 p.m. (Feb. 18):
Sheriff’s deputies are looking for the person who threw a small dog from a gray pickup truck on state Route 41, southeast of Troy in Miami County, Monday morning.
The chihuahua, which suffered serious head injuries, is being treated at the Troy Animal Hospital.
>> Dog that attacked police officer and was shot has been euthanized
Sheriff’s Deputy Sarah Fraley said they are looking for the truck, possibly a Dodge Dakota or Chevy S10 witnesses said had a camper shell on it. It was last seen heading toward Troy near state Route 202.
Animal hospital workers have named the dog Chance in hopes he gets a second one. The hospital handles most of the veterinary needs of animals at the county animal shelter.
"It's heartbreaking if the dog was truly tossed out of the window,” Fraley said. “It's very sad that someone would do that to an animal."
When Chance was awake Tuesday, he was doing better than when he was brought in Monday. He will be monitored closely the next couple of days.
"It looks as if the dog took most of the force to his head, so he has a lot of head trauma, swelling on the brain,” Fraley said. “It's going to be crucial the next 48 to 72 (hours) to see if he's going to pull out of this or pull through this."
The sheriff’s office has identified and interviewed the dog’s owner, who told deputies the dog got loose earlier Monday morning. Deputies confirmed the dog’s owner does not have a vehicle that matches the description of the vehicle witnesses described.
Fraley said Chance was adopted from the Darke County Animal Shelter on Feb. 7.
Anyone with any information that could help identify the truck or who was in it is asked to call the sheriff’s office, 937-440-6085.
The animal shelter has also received calls about how people can donate for Chance’s medical care.
Fraley said an account has been set up through the Troy Animal Hospital and anyone who wishes to donate can do so directly to the Troy Animal Hospital, 34 S. Weston Road, Troy, OH.
The hospital’s phone number is (937) 335-8387.
Any money left over from Chance’s care will be used for other shelter dogs or cats that need treatment at the hospital.
INITIAL REPORT (Feb. 18)
A dog is being treated in a veterinary clinic after a report that it was thrown out of a moving vehicle on state Route 41 near state Route 202 southeast of Troy at 10:24 a.m. Monday.
>>Dayton gunshot victim says he’s hit twice in the neck, caller tells 9-1-1 operator
According to Miami County Sheriff’s Office records, animal shelter staff responded to the scene and took the dog to the clinic, but there are no suspects at this time.
In a Facebook post, a woman who claimed she witnessed the incident described the vehicle as a small gray truck with a camper hooked to the back.
She said she couldn’t see a license plate.
We are working to learn more, and will update this story with any new information.
