Medical expense donations for
dog close to $5,000 goal
BY ALEXANDRA MESTER
WOODVILLE, Ohio — The owners of
a dog shot by the Woodville police K-9 handler say the chocolate Labrador
retriever appears happy to be home, but is struggling with pain and may require
further hospital stays.
Lauren Bischoff said Friday
that 5-year-old Moses has not been able to sleep for more than a few minutes at
a time and whines in pain frequently despite strong medication.
“If it doesn't get better, we
might have to take him back,” she said.
Moses had surgery Wednesday at
West Suburban Animal Hospital in Sylvania Township to place rods and pins in
his right front foreleg. He went home Thursday.
Woodville K-9 Officer Steve
Gilkerson on Monday pulled a car over near the Bischoffs’ workplace at Lockport
Transportation, 875 E. Main St., just outside the village. Moses is a fixture
at the business, and he left the property and walked to the scene of the
traffic stop.
Officer Gilkerson, who kept his
K-9 partner in his cruiser, said Moses was targeted on him in an unfriendly way
and did not respond to being yelled at. Fearing for his safety and that of the
two people from the vehicle, who were also standing outside, he fired a single
shot at Moses.
The case has become a hotly
debated topic, as three witnesses claim Moses was not acting aggressively. The
dog also was not properly licensed at the time, nor was he restrained or under
an owner or handler’s reasonable control.
An online fund-raiser at
GoFundMe.com — “Justice for Moses” — is close to meeting a $5,000 goal. As of
this afternoon, nearly 140 people had donated more than $4,700.
“It’s amazing,” Mrs. Bischoff
said. “The generosity of the community is incredible. ... I wish I could thank
every one of these people individually.”
She said about 60 percent of
the people who have donated are people they don’t know. The top donor, who
chose to remain anonymous, sent in $345. Some have given just $10, others have
stopped by Lockport Transportation to drop off donations, including money and
homemade treats for Moses.
“Every little bit helps,” Mrs.
Bischoff said. “As far as our bills go, they’re up there.”
Mrs. Bischoff said Moses’
treatment and aftercare, particularly if he would be hospitalized again, may
exceed $5,000.
“I don’t see us having any extra
right now, but if we do, we wouldn’t pocket it,” Mrs. Bischoff said. “It would
go toward something, like a charity.”
Mrs. Bischoff and her husband,
Thomas, are getting Moses licensed. Mrs. Bischoff said they plan to file a
formal complaint with the police department next week, and she said the three
witnesses intend to do so as well soon.
