St. Louis Rescue Caring for ‘Sweetest’ Stray Dog Found Alone and Shot 4 Times on New Year’s Day

A stray dog in St. Louis is on the mend after being shot four times on New Year’s Eve.

According to Missouri-based animal shelter Stray Rescue of Saint Louis, the dog—later named Wallace—was discovered on Dec. 31 by St. Louis police officers responding to a call.

“This is not at all how we wanted to ring in the New Year—with more gun violence,” the shelter said in a statement. “Officers arrived at the scene and found this pup shot multiple times. They rushed him to us, and they fell in love with him.”

Video shared on Facebook shows officers Ottengheime and Stevens gently approaching Wallace, comforting him, and carefully carrying him to their vehicle so he could receive urgent veterinary care.

The shelter later shared images on social media documenting the severity of Wallace’s injuries, with visible wounds on his face, body, and paws. After arriving at Stray Rescue, Wallace was examined by the shelter’s veterinarian, Dr. Oliver, sedated, and treated.

Shelter staff say Wallace narrowly avoided even more serious injuries.

“We know Wallace has a guardian angel because none of the bullets broke any bones,” the shelter wrote. “He does have a broken tooth that will need to be removed, but we’ll wait a few days until he’s more stable.”

“For now, we’ll show him the Stray Rescue way—nothing but respect, safety, and love from this moment on.”

Since his rescue, Wallace has made steady progress and has already begun winning over staff with his affectionate nature.

“We’ll remove his damaged tooth and make sure there’s no further internal harm,” said Natalie Thomson, the shelter’s chief communications officer. “But the fact that he has no broken bones is incredible.”

She added that Wallace is approximately 3 years old, weighs about 48 pounds, and firmly believes he’s a lap dog.

Additional photos shared by the shelter show Wallace resting in the veterinary clinic after sedation. In one moment described by staff, a caregiver stayed beside him as he woke up, gently petting him so he wouldn’t feel scared or alone.

While Wallace’s survival is uplifting, Thomson notes that such cases are tragically common.

“Sadly, we see many gunshot survivors,” she said. “We currently have multiple animals recovering from similar injuries, and often there’s at least one in our clinic at any given time.”

She added that the dogs injured this way are often the friendliest. “They’ll run right up to anyone, which makes it even more heartbreaking.”

Stray Rescue says it will continue to share updates on Wallace’s recovery. A donation page has been set up to help cover his medical care and rehabilitation.

A photo posted on New Year’s Day shows Wallace clean, warm, and sleeping peacefully on a towel inside the shelter.

“Sweet dreams, baby boy,” the shelter wrote. “You’re safe and warm now. He feels all the love being sent his way—let’s hope 2026 is far gentler and kinder to animals than it began.”