Gibson was found on a street corner, injured and struggling. He was extremely underweight, and on top of that, had been shot in one of his front legs. The poor dog clearly needed help, as quickly as possible.

Cleveland Animal Control responded to the call about Gibson and reached out to the rescue community to try and find an organization who could take him in — as it was clear he probably wouldn’t make it in a big shelter. Love-A-Stray Dog Division Non-Profit Rescue found out about the injured 2-year-old dog and immediately agreed to take him in and cover all of his medical expenses.

After examining him, vets determined that Gibson would need to have his leg amputated, as too much damage had been done when he was shot. No one is sure how the sweet dog was shot, but Gibson handled his injuries with such a great attitude, despite how much pain he was in.

“He is fantastic with all people he meets,” Connie Field of Love-A-Stray told The Dodo. “He is one very sweet dog!”

Not long after arriving into the care of the rescue, Gibson had his leg amputated and became a three-legged dog. The staff weren’t sure how Gibson would react to waking up and suddenly having only three legs, but the change didn’t seem to faze him at all.

“He was in so much pain with the shattered bone from the gunshot, he actually seemed relieved once his leg was removed and he did not have the pain,” Field said.

Shortly after the surgery, Gibson began therapy at Up & Running Canine Rehabilitation in Avon Lake, Ohio, to help him adjust to life with only three legs. So far he has been excelling at every therapy he’s tried, including balance therapy …

… water therapy …

… and laser therapy.

Gibson is improving and getting stronger every day, and the rescue hopes that by early March, he’ll finally be ready to start looking for his forever home.

“He is doing fantastic,” Field said. “Dogs are so resilient.”