How Dumbo was found after deadly shooting incident in Mills River

How Dumbo was found after deadly shooting incident in Mills River

After Hayden Elias Brook allegedly exchanged gunfire with Henderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies near the North Mills River Campground on April 13 and died at the scene, a German Shepherd with Brook when the incident happened ran off into the woods. Twelve days later, “Dumbo,” a service dog owned by Sarah Tuggle, Brook’s former girlfriend, was found by Tuggle and other family members.

The dog had three gunshot wounds: One in the neck that went through his jaw and left fragments, breaking four teeth before lodging in his shoulder muscle; one in the neck that went straight through; and one in the leg that broke his leg bone. Dumbo was taken to his regular veterinarian in Johnson City, Tennessee.

“They said he’s doing good. They are going to let us know when they can do surgery on his jawbone, and to get the bullet out of his muscle,” Tuggle said.

Finding Dumbo

Finding Dumbo took days of driving back and forth from Tennessee. Tuggle said they owe it all to EPIC Animal Recovery, a pet recovery service based in Fletcher. “We wouldn’t have been able to find him without them,” Tuggle said.

Two days after the shooting, EPIC Animal Recovery got the call from the family to help. Michelle Wilson, the founder of EPIC, and Chris Ware, a local volunteer, assisted throughout the recovery.

Wilson said EPIC took its dog, Seeker, to track Dumbo’s blood trail, but due to multiple people searching for the dog, the blood trail was lost. “The days to follow were saddening. Everyone had given up. They just knew he was deceased,” Wilson said. “But we didn’t find a body. Seeker is trained in decomposition.

Dumbo is spotted for the first time

No one had seen or heard from the dog since the incident. Then, on April 23, there was a glimmer of hope. “Tanya sent us a picture that had been sent in. It was Dumbo,” Wilson said. “Chris got out there and set out some food where he was seen. Dumbo’s mom came down the same day. I came out and we got a few trail cameras set up in the area with food, in hopes of catching him on camera so a humane trap could be set.”

April 23 came and went, with no sign of Dumbo. The next day, Wilson said Tuggle went with some family members to the area where Dumbo had been seen. “Chris met up with them to go over some things. At that moment, they saw Dumbo and the gals took off after him. Chris tried to stop them,” Wilson said. “Unfortunately, it is very counterintuitive to not chase a loose dog, especially one in a situation like this.

A happy outcome

Wilson said chasing a loose dog can be very detrimental to the recovery efforts. She knew she needed to have a meeting with family members to explain what they should do if they saw Dumbo again. “They didn’t want to tell me what had happened, but I already knew. I told them to stop chasing Dumbo or else. I gave them specific instructions on what needed to be done based on Dumbo’s behavior,” she said.

Family members went back to their home in Tennessee and got their other dog, who is Dumbo’s best friend, Wilson said. They made their way back to Mills River that same night and got a hotel room so they could get an early start on April 25. “After about five minutes, sure enough Dumbo showed up, and they did exactly what they needed to do,” Wilson said. “Dumbo came out and actually went to go to jump into the vehicle, but then he saw them playing with the other dog. There was fresh food, and he couldn’t resist and that was all she wrote. He ran up to them, tail wagging.”

Tuggle said they do need help paying for the medical bills. Anyone wishing to make a donation can contact the Veterinary Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee.