A Staten Island pit bull shot and wounded by police trying to break up a dog fight has thousands of online friends.
Dog activists have taken to social media to raise support for Baby Girl and her owner. Special Needs Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation has raised $2,500 toward the 2-year-old dog's $8,000 medical bills.
The group has created a website, www.snarrdogpolice.com tracking Baby Girl's recovery.
She's being treated at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, N.J. Doctors say the bullet passed through the dog's body, fortunately missing all her vital organs, but leaving seven holes in her intestines.
"What we had to do was suture what was still viable together, getting rid of everything that was traumatized from the gunshot," said veterinarian Dr. Michael Hoelzer.
Baby Girl was shot on Saturday in Staten Island's Schmul Park where the dog's owner and her sister were walking their three pit bulls. Two of the pets began to scuffle and one of the owners was bitten as she got between them.
Police say responding officers intervened and shots were fired. But the owners, who declined to give their names, said the dog wasn't part of the fight and was running away.
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Animal activist Courtney Beelew, who helped get Baby Girl adopted, says she is outraged.
"This is not an aggressive dog," Beelew said. "She has never had an aggressive incident."
Police say the shooting remains under review.
