There’s still hope for a little paralyzed pup shot in the back

The little pup who was shot in the spine in Beaufort is beginning to show some improvement.

Snuffy was found on Robert Smalls Parkway with a pellet shot into his back. The projectile hit his spinal cord, according to Noah’s Arks Rescue in Okatie. He is partially paralyzed as a result of the wound and has no feeling in his hind legs or no control over his bladder or bowels.

For the first two days after he was found, Snuffy hadn’t made any attempt to move, according to rescue President Jennifer Smith. On Tuesday night, however, the little guy started to move his back legs a little bit, she said on the rescue’s website. He still can’t feel the legs and can’t go to the bathroom on his own, but he might be able to walk on his own with some time.

“The movement we are seeing is what we call Spinal Walking,” Smith said. “A lot of dogs learn to walk without the feeling in their legs and count on their brain to move the legs forward. The walking is usually very spastic, but it is a form of walking. Our hope is that Snuffy will keep moving his legs to keep the memory alive of walking. We are very hopeful he will get feeling back in his legs.”

Snuffy is beginning to play and give kisses to the veterinary technicians who are caring for him at Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews, N.C., Smith said.

There is still a $5,000 reward for anyone who has information that can lead to an arrest and conviction of the person who shot Snuffy, according to the website.

Anyone wishing to donate to the care of Snuffy can visit http://www.noahs-arks.net/donations/snuffy.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "There’s still hope for a little paralyzed pup shot in the back."