Tex Gilligan, 74, was in good spirits as he recovered in a Texas hospital after being shot while out hunting in New Mexico.

Seemingly alone in the woods, Gilligan at first thought he was the victim of a random sniper when he was shot in the back through the driver’s seat of his car, suffering three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken shoulder bone. There was some luck involved in his survival, as well. Normally Gilligan doesn’t take his cell phone hunting, but the area rains had made him extra cautious.

But he was surprised when investigating police found that the perpetrator was actually Gilligan’s 120-pound Rottweiler mix, Charlie, one of the three dogs he’d brought with him on the jackrabbit hunting trip.

“It went through my ribs my lung and busted up my collarbone on the right side,” Gilligan told ABC News. “I had a gaping hole, you know, and a lot of blood there too,” he told ABC News.

As no one was around, Gilligan had figured it was the work of a lone gunman.

It was only when the county sheriff investigated that it was determined Gilligan had in fact been shot by his own dog. “The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan,” law enforcement representatives said. “The investigation is being handled as an accidental shooting.”

Gilligan’s son, Mark, was grateful for the swift police action.

“He was done, there’s no doubt about it. I can’t say enough about the sheriff’s deputies, because without them my dad was dead,” he told WECT-6, adding that it’s normal for his dad to take his three dogs, Charlie, Cowboy, and Scooby, hunting for rabbits near Las Cruces.

“He spoils his dogs, you know. He calls them you know, his boys,” Mark Gilligan said. “So he’s very fond of his animals.”

Indeed, Gilligan had no trouble forgiving Charlie for the mishap.

“He’s a good dog,” said Gilligan as he recovered in Texas after the accidental shooting. “[He] did not mean to do it,” he said.“I never thought that this would happen,” a good-humored Gilligan said. “It’s an interesting story: ‘a dog shot a man!’”

It was a very happy ending for a 9-year-old girl in Montgomery County, TN, and her lovely and loyal dog, Cody.

“She’s the only dog I’ve ever had in my life and she’s a really good dog,” Alliyah McKay told local News Channel 5. “She would follow me everywhere and she would protect me and stuff like if I went outside she will follow me too.

Last week, however, Cody got herself stuck in a culvert while out carousing without her human best friend.

“When I first looked for her I was walking around and I was like, ‘Cody, Cody,’ and finally I heard her whimpering,” said Micki Fielder, the little girl’s grandmother.

After a brief search, Fielder discovered the 15-year-old pup trapped in a nearby drainage culvert.

“First, I really didn’t think it was a problem until I realize she was in there and it was really hard to pull out I started freaking out and I started crying a lot,” said McKay.

They decided to call the professionals in for help, dialing 9-1-1.

“The good Sheriff’s Deputies of Montgomery county came out and they worked and they worked,” said Fielder.

“We did the best we could just wear their hands and they had some Tupperware containers we used for scooping the dirt out,” said Brian Lynch, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy.

Cody endured about a half hour or so of confinement before the rescue team got her free.

“With the limited tools we had and what they had it was difficult and it seem like it was going to take a lot longer than it did but we were able to get the dog out,” said Denis Bowles, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy.

Little Aaliyah is now thankful beyond measure to have her best friend back.

“You guys did a really good job,” McKay told the police officers. “It was hard work, too.”

And thankfully, it won’t happen to Cody, or any other dog, again. Someone has since come by and placed large boulders in the drain to prevent this from happening in the future.

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Ah, the power of stuffed toys!

Massachusetts State Police stepped in to save a loose dog after receiving multiple calls about a Doberman pinscher darting amid traffic in both directions on dangerous and busy Interstate 291 Sunday morning.

Trooper Corey Brown, along with several other officers, responded.

“The Doberman came to a stop but then ran again down the left lane,” police said on Facebook.

As his colleagues slowed traffic, Brown attempted capture, tossing a stuffed, pink teddy bear he had in his squad car. The dog gave chase, retrieving the toy, at which time Brown told him to sit. Which it did. Like a good dog.

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The troopers were able to safely take the rogue dog into custody, returning it to its owner, who lives near the highway.

Facebook followers commended the rescue, complimenting Brown for quick thinking and a caring attitude. A few suggested dog treats be added to the many things police officers have handy in their cruisers.

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Years ago, police in Ontario rescued 31 sickly dogs from a suspected fighting operation. They were pit bulls, a “breed” long since banned in this Canadian province, but they were also evidence in a court case, so they were remanded to an undisclosed shelter while a court determined what would happen.

As often goes in the realm of the legal, they waited a long time.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) pressed for all of them to be put down, arguing that as they had only known violence, they were a lost cause.

Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, however, asked for the dogs to be released into their care, where they could be rehabilitated and eventually find their way to real families.

Along the way, one of the dogs who had arrived to the shelter pregnant, added 8 new puppies to the controversy.

Finally, in July of 2017, a judge made a ruling. The dogs (except for one deemed too dangerous and two who died while in custody) would be released into rescue and hit the long road to rehabilitation.

One of the roads led all the way to Jacksonville, FL, where 14 of the dogs landed in the care of a rescue called Pit Sisters. A few of them were from the litter born at the shelter.

“They only knew a shelter life,” Jen Deane, founder of Pit Sisters, told Mother Nature Network.

In early assessments, one of those puppies — a dog named Dallas — drew attention.

“The more we worked with him, the more we thought he should be a police dog,” Deane said.

So trainers spent a few days testing him and they eventually connected with someone from the Throwaway Dogs Project, a Philadelphia organization specializing in dogs often seen as beyond help — and turning them into police dogs.

Dallas, of course, was just a pup. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but rather was guilty by association — for his breed.

Throwaway Dogs founder Carol Skaziak, along with a team of behaviorists, headed to Jacksonville, where they spent several days testing Dallas.

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“The first thing I saw in Dallas was a very lovable dog that enjoyed being around humans,” Skaziak told MNN. “Then what I saw was a dog that had extreme play drive.”

It’s a skill Skazniak looks for in candidates for the program.

“Believe it or not, I feel that if we were on top of the Empire State Building, and we threw the ball over the edge, he would go after the ball.”

Not the best quality for a family pet, but for police dogs, it’s essential.

“With every day that passed, I was becoming more and more in love with this dog,” Skaziak recalls. “I thought, ‘This is probably going to work out for us. This is a homerun.’”

But there was one crucial strike against Dallas: He was deathly afraid of cars — so much so that he couldn’t bring himself to get inside one.

On their way back to Pennsylvania, the trainers told Deane if Dallas could get over that fear, they would try to land him a job as a K9.

Not long afterward, Deane — a trainer with a gift for bringing out the best in dogs — sent Throwaway Dogs a video of Dallas jumping in and out of cars with unflinching enthusiasm.

Dallas was officially in the program.

Dallas the pit bull profile
Dallas is on his way to Pennsylvania to start training for his new job. (Photo: Pit Sisters)
Not long after that, Deane got a text message: A police department in Virginia had offered Dallas a job.

And all of a sudden, the dog who nearly never left that secret shelter in Ontario — a dog who was born a victim — will now spend the rest of his life standing up for them.

With a lot of people cheering for him along the way.

“We have a whole town that’s excited,” Skaziak says. “We’re just thrilled. We can’t wait to start training him.”

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Jennifer Vaz was walking her own dog, Molly, near a New Jersey beach, when she heard whimpering. Below her, near the rocks and partially submerged by the incoming tide, was a cage with a 10-month-old pit bull inside.

“When I looked down, I saw these eyes looking back at me — these cute little puppy eyes all shivered up and scared,” Vaz told WABC on Tuesday. “I couldn’t believe that this happened in our town and somebody could be this malicious and do that to that dog.”

She immediately hopped the barrier to rescue him, calling authorities once she was home safe with the dog. Now the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating.

“The tide was coming in and the water had reached the cage,” the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. “When animal control arrived on the scene the cage was almost covered by the rising tide. If not for the heroic rescue act of the good Samaritan, the dog could have potentially drowned.”

Vaz gave him the name “River” before she turned him in to authorities. She plans to adopt him.

Prosecutors believe the dog may have been left there between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and says he is now in good health.

“Although River is a bit shaken up, he is in good physical shape and seems to have been well cared for,” the SPCA said. “We are working with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to help bring justice to River.”

The center posted images on its Facebook page this week, showing him snuggled up with a uniformed police officer while sporting his new tags and collar.

It urged anyone with information about the dog or its owner to contact the Monmouth County Cruelty Hotline or the Highlands Police Department.

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When a veteran’s SUV was stolen in Indianapolis this week, there was far more at stake than a vehicle. The former Marine’s service dog, Wrigley, was inside.

Indianapolis police asked the public to help find the 2-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback mix, who is trained to sense oncoming migraines and seizures.

“He’s my lifeline right now,” Lana Whitner told WXIN.

Once found, Wrigley was frightened, but police said he warmed up quickly.

And of course, there was no stopping the joyful wiggles when he was reunited with this family.

“This happy ending is brought to you by the community working together,” said IMPD. “Thank you to all who helped.”

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Glenn Blake’s security camera captured something we all know happens too much — but it’s still achingly hard to watch.

Yesterday, an SUV pulled up near Blake’s home, east of Springfield, MO, let a dog out and then sped off. You can see the dog give chase after the vehicle leaves the frame.

Blake later posted the video on Facebook with the following statement:

Person dumping dog in our neighborhood this morning 10 July at 10:13. Please share. I had no idea this video whould (sic) spread so fast and so far. Here is more information all in one place. This is at Farm Road 148 and Farm Road 205. Three miles east of Springfield, MO just off of Hwy D. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office was notified. Deputy Turner was able to locate the dog. At this point the poor dog was getting dehydrated and weak. The Deputy was extremely concerned and caring and provided the dog with water and comfort. The temperature reached 96 degrees today. GCSO called Rescue One https://rescueonespringfield.com/ and they promptly arrived to care for it.

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As stated above, Blake got in touch with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, which dispatched a deputy in response.

“Really, all the credit should go to Deputy Turner,” Blake told the Springfield News-Leader. “He went out of this way to find the dog, get a hold of it, get it cooled off and get it water. And the adoption agency (worker). Kudos to both of those people.”

He told reporters the deputy spent at least a half-hour tracking the dog and checking with neighbors to see if they’d seen her.

Once found, she was handed off to Rescue One, a Springfield-based dog rescue with a vast network of fosters. An emergency volunteer from the organization met the deputy at the scene. A rep for Rescue One confirmed the dog is now safe in foster care, though she was badly dehydrated and had suffered some burns to her paws from the hot pavement.

Knowingly abandoning an animal without making arrangements for its care is illegal in Missouri. The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate.

“Somebody knows this person, with all the views the video’s gotten,” Blake said. “I’ve got a feeling that at this point, this person knows she’s been caught.”

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Summer, a yellow Lab, is 8. These days, she patrols Washington Union Station with her partner, Sgt. Micah Jones. It’s a five-day-a-week job.

“When I get up and get ready, put my uniform on, I put the harness on, she knows she’s ready to go,” Jones told ABC affiliate WJLA. But Summer hasn’t always been his partner.

In her previous life, Summer was deployed in Afghanistan with the Marines.

“She’s been in firefights. She’s found IEDs and VBEDs and it’s just an honor to work—that an animal like that saved thousands and thousands of lives,” her partner says.

And now, Summer is up for the American Humane Hero Dog Awards in the military category.

“It would mean a lot to give her the recognition that she rightfully deserves,” Jones said.

Voting for the award is public and today is the last day. To view Summer’s story and vote for her — and peruse the other dogs nominated in the Awards’ various categories, click here.

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Nanook (also known as “Nookie”) is a hero.

The 7-year-old husky helped rescue an injured hiker last week in the Eagle River Valley of Alaska.

“He’s Alaska’s version of Lassie,” Lt. Eric Olsen, with the Alaska State Troopers, told the Anchorage Daily News.

Amelia Milling, 21, was hiking and fell hundreds of feet when one of her poles broke. Nanook showed up soon after. Milling read his tag, which proclaimed Nanook to be a Crow Creek guide dog. His owner’s name and number was on the tag. Dogs like Nanook frequent the area and escort hikers. Nanook guided her back to the trail, staying with her as she made her way back to camp.

Milling fell again while attempting to cross the Eagle River and Nanook helped pull her from the water. She attempted to lie down and recover, but Nanook would not stop licking her. When Milling finally activated her emergency locator beacon, Nanook relented, lying down. A rescue chopper showed, and she and Nanook rode it to Anchorage, where she was treated for bumps and bruises and released.

Milling, who hails from Tennessee, is deaf. She attends Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Her mother, speaking from her home in Chattanooga, told reporters for the Democrat and Chronicle that her daughter has been an avid hiker for five years and doesn’t let her deafness stop her from anything.

She had planned a three-day hike and was fine until she encountered more snow than expected.

“I’m a Southerner, so I wasn’t thinking about snow,” Milling said via an interpreter.

Nanook was returned to his owner.

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Sergeant Brian Parkton of the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Marine Unit thought he was watching a lone sea turtle making its way through the water beneath the Marler Bridge in Destin, but on closer inspection he realized it was a small, white dog struggling to stay afloat!

He scooped the pup up into his boat, of course, and later found that the dog’s owners were on a desperate search to find her after she had fallen off a pontoon boat on Friday during an outing.

The dog was tired, but seemed no worse for wear. She was later reunited with her family.

Great job, Sergeant!!!