Romeoville Man Raising Money After Dog Shot

ROMEOVILLE, IL — A Romeoville man is turning to GoFundMe to raise money for vet bills after his dog was shot by a neighbor Thursday night.

"My puppy, Grizzly, got loose, and he ran across the street, and was barking at my drunk neighbors, and in the midst of my older brother trying to grab him, was shot with a .38 special," writes Junior Rivera on the fundraising website.

After the shooting, Grizzly was taken to a vet in Plainfield with severe internal bleeding. Rivera says he needs help paying the bill.

"He's a good boy, and everyone who knows me, knows grizzly is not people aggressive or dog aggressive," Rivera said.

The Romeoville Police Department confirmed the shooting to Patch, but the neighbor's story is somewhat different from Rivera's. The neighbor told police the dog had approached aggressively and attempted to bite him before his wife shot it as a last resort.

According to police, the neighbor's wife heard her husband yelling and came outside with a .38-caliber handgun to investigate. She fired a warning shot into the ground before shooting the dog once in the shoulder.

"During this encounter, the dog's caretaker was able to lure the dog across the street with commands and treats, but the dog immediately returned acting aggressively," police said. "During this disturbance, the female fired her weapon into the ground as a warning shot in order to deter the dog from further aggression. The dog briefly stopped the aggression but then continued. The female then fired another shot which struck the dog in the left shoulder."

Romeoville Deputy Chief Steve Lucchesi said police talked to everyone involved in the incident, and the department is still investigating. At this time, no one has been charged, but the Will County State's Attorney's office is expected to review the case.

"Grizzly is stabilized in critical condition," Rivera said in an update on Facebook Friday. "The bullet stuck in his abdomen, but he's not bleeding internally anymore. They're doing more extensive ultrasounds, as well as checking his blood levels to make sure they aren't dropping. He's OK, but he's not out of the woods yet. Please, wish for my Grizzly to pull through."

Patch has reached out to Rivera for additional comment. This story will be updated when we hear back.

Click here to visit Rivera's GoFundMe page.

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Image via GoFundMe