A Seattle dog named Judah took two bullets protecting his owner during a domestic violence attack two years ago, and now the fragments still lodged in his head have shifted, putting him at risk of permanent brain damage or blindness unless he gets surgery soon. His owner, Lauren Wiggins, is asking the community for help covering the cost.
Wiggins said she was trying to leave her home in November 2024 when her ex-fiancé grabbed a gun and shot her in the leg, according to FOX 13 Seattle. During the attack, Judah intervened by attacking the man and was shot in the head and shoulder. Wiggins is now paralyzed from the knee down on her right leg and wears an orthotic to walk, the station reports.
Accounts of exactly who fired the shot that hit Judah differ. A fundraiser launched on Judah’s behalf states plainly that police shot the dog, with the post describing a frantic scene at an emergency vet clinic: “This evening the police shot my dog. I’m at the MedVet now, and the vet told me the bullet is still inside and he’s actively bleeding,” according to the GiveSendGo campaign. FOX 13’s reporting, however, ties the shooting directly to the domestic violence incident involving Wiggins’s ex-fiancé. The two accounts have not been reconciled.
Fragments Shifting Inside Judah’s Skull
Now seven years old, Judah recently developed swelling in his head, prompting a new round of veterinary evaluation. The station’s report notes that veterinarians determined the bullet fragments must now be surgically removed to prevent permanent brain damage or vision loss, more than a year after the original shooting…