This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

Vinny is an adult dog who was horrifically injured and left to die after being shot along with five other dogs who were killed in Arizona this spring. Urge maximum penalties for those responsible.

In March, four puppies and their mother were found dead near Colorado City, Arizona, while Vinny, an adult male believed to be the father, was still alive but critically injured.

Law enforcement reached out to RSQ, a volunteer-run rescue based in Utah that deals with cruelty and neglect in the region, for help and the organization agreed to take responsibility for Vinny's care. He had been shot twice with a shotgun using buckshot shotgun shells, similar to BBs, and was in rough shape.

According to RSQ's lead volunteer Jennifer Hare, more than 100 BBs were removed, but there are still more in his body that can't be taken out. The blast, which went through his skull, left a ravaged ear that had to be amputated. Despite all he's been through, Vinny's still very sweet and is now enjoying life in a foster home while he waits to be adopted.

Meanwhile, two individuals have been officially charged in connection with the shooting and charges are only being brought about because Vinny survived in an area where it's legal for people to “euthanize” their dogs by shooting them. The “owner” of the dogs, Julia Jessop said she turned them over to George Russell Cooke. Cooke is charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty and four counts of criminal misdemeanor animal cruelty. Jessop is charged with animal mistreatment, dog at large, and no dog license, each a misdemeanor.

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.