Puppy Shot in Coker Last Month Recovering in New Home with Adventures Ahead

A puppy who was shot in Tuscaloosa County last month is recovering well in her new home, where she is expected to learn canine sports, go paddleboarding on local lakes and more.

As the Thread reported, Charlie the German Shorthaired Pointer was shot by a neighbor when she escaped her first family's fence on August 26th.

Scars are still clearly visible on her brown and white fur where the bullet entered and exited her face and grazed down her back, but otherwise, you'd never be able to tell Charlie suffered such trauma less than a month ago.

The puppy and her new owner, Cheyenne Phillips, visited the Tuscaloosa Thread after guest-starring on the Noon Show on Catfish 100.1 on Wednesday.

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Phillips, a nurse at May Veterinary North Ridge who is working remotely as a stay-at-home mother of two boys, said she and her husband agreed to adopt Charlie after seeing a Facebook post after she recovered from the shooting. Her medical care was financed by more than $1,400 in donations, Phillips said.

With her technical experience and enough time to heal after losing a Belgian Malinois late last year, Phillips said they agreed to see if Charlie was a good fit and fell in love instantly.

"Once she came home, it was almost immediate," Phillips said. "We told her she wasn't going anywhere."

As the puppy continues to recover, Phillips said she plans to direct her intense energy into dog sports and outdoor adventure after getting through lessons in basic obedience.

"Within the next year, she will be able to start competing in dog sport, and we'll definitely start with fast CAT and just dive into whatever she finds that she likes," Phillips said. "We're just going to dip our toes in a little bit of everything and see what this girl really catches on to."

Phillips said if Charlie takes to standing on a paddleboard, they'll be zipping around Lake Lurleen and other local water bodies - something she used to do off the coast of California before moving to Tuscaloosa.

Her adventurous new life wouldn't be possible without Southern Paws Animal Rescue, Phillips said, which raised the money to make sure Charlie got through her injuries and into a new home.

"A huge thank you to Southern Paws and Stacy Jordan for taking on such a big case like Charlie and making sure that she didn't have to face a much worse outcome for lack of financial resources, which typically leads to euthanasia," Phillips said. "These rescues that can step in and help out, they truly give animals another opportunity at a good life, and I'm grateful to Stacy and everyone who came together to give this girl her next beautiful life."

For more news coverage in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.