Kanien Bane Cartwright, the pit bull mix who was shot several times defending his owner during a home invasion, will live. But two bullets will remain in his body.
"It's a miracle, it is," said his owner Laurel Cartwright, 23. "It's a blessing."
A man broke into Cartwright’s house on Polsgrove Street early Friday morning, pointed a .22-caliber handgun at her, robbed her and shot Kanien in the head several times when he moved to defend his owner.
The 7-year-old dog is walking and eating, Cartwright said. She has owned him since he was 6 weeks old.
Dr. Clint Bevins of the Animal Medical Center on Versailles Road saw the dog around 10 a.m. Friday and released it around noon. It had been taken to AA Small Animal Emergency Services in Lexington early Friday morning for immediate treatment.
“He actually looks pretty good for what he’s been through," Bevins said, adding that the dog has "a good spirit."
Two bullets remain in the dog's forehead and neck area. Bevins said the bullets are non-threatening, and Kanien will probably carry them the rest of its life. There are also some bullet holes in its ears from where other bullets passed through.
Kanien is currently being treated with pain relievers and antibiotics, Bevins said.
"He's got a pretty good headache," he said.
Frankfort Police arrived at Cartwright’s house around 3 a.m. Cartwright said she had been on the computer when her front door flew open and an unknown white male entered her home.
Her dog, which she said is very protective, rushed at the man, who shot at its head twice. The dog was startled for a second but started attacking again, and didn't stop until the man shot it twice more.
Cartwright said the man then stood two feet away from her and pointed the gun at her, telling her to give him “everything she had." He ran away with about $350, she said.
The man is described as white, 6-foot and 170 pounds with a thin build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with some type of white writing on the front and a mask that covered the lower portion of his face.
Cartwright said an old friend had left her house before the robbery after asking her to make change for a $20.
"I was hanging out with somebody, and an hour later I got robbed," she said, adding that she thinks her acquaintance set her up to be robbed by someone else and was there to see if she had cash. She said she had a good idea of who might have robbed her, but police have yet to name suspects.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Alan Burton at 875-8523. Anonymous information may be given to Frankfort Crime Stoppers at 875-8648 or at www.frankfortcrimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers may pay a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
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