BATAVIA, OH — Thanks to quick action by the Clermont County Animal Shelter’s team, a pit bull mix named John Wick survived a gunshot wound.

The Animal Shelter became involved after receiving a call from a concerned citizen who had brought two stray pit bull mixes into her home due to inclement weather. The dogs, both over 2 years old, appeared to be siblings.

A neighbor had shot John Wick with a 45-caliber gun after he attacked her cat.

“The dog is friendly with people,” said Caleb Peterson, the shelter’s director. “But his natural prey instinct most likely led him to the cat.”

Deputy Dog Warden Aaron Horsley crawled under a porch to retrieve the injured John Wick. He took the dog to an animal hospital. Miraculously, no vital organs had been hit.

The shelter paid the hospital bill of almost $2,000.

Peterson reports that John Wick has been “sweet, interacting with everyone” while recovering at the shelter. He will remain at the shelter for the next couple of weeks, until drains and sutures are removed.

Once renovations are complete and a fee schedule is set, the shelter will open to the public. The dogs will become available for adoption. Until then, after a stray hold (giving owners time to claim the dogs) expires, a rescue can pull the dogs and make them available for adoption.

“We could have euthanized the dog, but we continue to strive to be a no-kill shelter,” Peterson said. “We do everything we can to prevent euthanasia, and have been 100 percent successful since opening on Jan. 1.”