SHARONVILLE, Ohio — As Scarlet laid on a blanket inside the SPCA in Sharonville, you could tell the 2-year-old dog has been through a lot.
From a scar on her face to missing parts of her toes, it’s clear the pit bull mix has had a rough journey. On top of that, she also recently gave birth to eight puppies.
Scarlet is a stray dog, but in the past few months, a Lincoln Heights resident took her in to care for her.
Over the weekend the resident, a woman, put Scarlet outside. She said she chained Scarlet up, but the dog got loose.
Scarlet wandered into a neighbor’s yard, and moments later, she was shot.
The neighbor told the woman that he felt threatened by the dog. The bullet traveled into Scarlet’s head, through her shoulder, and out her chest.
In a ring camera video shared with WCPO 9 News from that night, a gunshot can be heard followed by Scarlet running away.
“The chance of it not hitting something very important, I think she is amazingly lucky,” said Dr. Jennifer Smith, VP of medical services at SPCA.
Hear more about what happened to Scarlet in the video below:
Scarlet is alive, and a big reason for that is Natalie Lotspeich.
Lotspeich is the owner of Dog Depot, a grooming salon, in Glendale. She’s also volunteered for the SPCA, a local humane society, over the years.
Her business is right next door to the Glendale Police Department. She said that night, police came to her for help.
“When someone says that, a gunshot wound to the head, you are immediately emotional,” Lotspeich said.
The woman caring for Scarlet couldn’t afford to pay for emergency care. So Lotspeich decided to step in.
“I just took it on myself to take it to the Care Center,” Lotspeich said.
Lotspeich said she didn’t expect Scarlet to live. However, because of her fast action, that luckily wasn’t the case.
“In that much pain and in that much distress, she was the sweetest dog ever,” Lotspeich said.
A spokesperson for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) tells WCPO the woman caring for Scarlet was charged with failing to confine the dog.
The neighbor was not charged for shooting Scarlet, because the HCSO said he acted in self-defense. However, the neighbor was charged with having a gun when he was not supposed to.
Staff at SPCA and Lotspeich are hopeful Scarlet will make a quick recovery. They said the eight puppies are currently being fostered.
“It is a miracle that dog survived,” Lotspeich said.
Lotspeich said her business is always taking donations to help dogs like Scarlet. She said any donations can be dropped off at their building at 950 S Troy Ave.
SPCA staff said they’re also accepting donations. They said, barring any changes to Scarlet’s physical health, they’re hoping she’ll be ready for adoption in the coming weeks.
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