In the U.S. alone there are around 500,000 service dogs that help individuals for a variety of conditions. Some of these people include former U.S. military members. These service members rely on their service dogs for help in dealing with injuries, both physical and mental, that they suffer while performing their official duties. So, when a service dog goes missing, it can leave a huge void in a veteran’s life.

One Missoula County, Montana veteran recently had his German shepherd service dog, named Lucca, go missing. And when Lucca was found, he was seriously injured. Authorities are still trying to determine how he ended up with gunshot wounds to the head and shoulder.

Tony Eadus’ service dog goes missing

Lucca is the service dog of veteran Tony Eadus. After he had come up missing one day, Eadus searched his apartment complex for eight hours to find him, with no success.

Eadus, who relies on Lucca to help him with his anxiety, was devastated, thinking he might never see his companion again.

Lucca is picked up by Animal Control

Four days after he had gone missing, Lucca was picked up by Animal Control. The department had received a call about a dog that was wandering a Missoula County neighborhood.

After picking the dog up, the officers noticed that he was injured.

The veterinarian was shocked to discover that Lucca had been shot

Taking him to the vet, they were shocked to discover that Lucca had three gunshot wounds — two to the head and one to the shoulder. The vet also scanned the dog for a microchip … and that was when the Animal Control Officers were able to trace him back to Eadus.

Fortunately, Lucca is expected to make a full recovery.

Lucca is reunited with his owner

Reunited with Lucca, Eadus is happy and relieved that his dog is back. At the same time, he is left wondering what exactly happened to Lucca while he was missing. He is heartbroken thinking of all that his dog went through during his ordeal.

“I can’t imagine a person doing that. Why would you steal a dog and take him clear across town and shoot him?” Eadus told KPAX.

Missoula County Animal Control is seeking answers

As for who shot Lucca, Animal Control is seeking answers from the public and asking them to come forward if they have any information about who shot the dog. To contact the department, visit its Facebook page or Website.

“He went missing around 34th Street, and so he made it quite a ways away,” Missoula County Animal Control Officer Cassidy Russell told KPAX.

“We don’t know who did anything, we don’t know if someone took him from his home, we don’t know who shot him, we don’t know any of the circumstances, so if anyone has seen or heard of anything that can give us some insight, then we can follow up on it.”

You can watch the video below for more information on Lucca’s story.

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Source: KPAX-TV

H/T: I Love My Dog So Much, KPAX