Cleveland Heights police look for clues in shooting of dog left chained to tree in Forest Hill Park

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio - Cleveland Heights police continue their search for the person responsible for shooting a mastiff dog leaving him chained to a tree in Forest Hill Park.

The mastiff limping his way to recovery from being shot twice has a new name: Forest. He'll soon have a new home as well.

Pet sitter Dee Shedlow found him in Forest Hill Park Monday chained to a tree.

"I happened to step over a fallen log and I turned around to call a dog, who was behind me, and that's when I saw him," she said. Shedlow said it wasn't until later they realized the dog had been shot.

"I mean, really, to shoot any living thing and leave it chained to die. The whole thing is sort of beyond my comprehension," she said.

Certified dog trainer Ann Trupo heard the shots fired, but she had no idea Forest was the target.

"I was walking my dogs pretty close to the parking lot area when I heard four gun shots. I didn't hear any animal in distress calls," Trupo said.

Two of the bullets hit Forest in the chest and jaw.

"For the person who did this, evil exists in the world, and it's really hard to stomach," Trupo said.

Forest was left overnight to suffer in the freezing temperatures, but doctors say the cold may have helped keep him alive.

"The temperature was cold, his heart rate slowed down and he didn't bleed out, possibly because of frigid temps," she said. Caregivers say other signs of distress like fly bites and scars around his neck from being tied too tightly suggest Forest has had it hard.

"I walked around with a heavy heart for hours, but gradually realized for the one, two or three people who interacted negatively with this dog, I had talked to people who were go ing help," Shedlow said.