By Kim Paskorz

Butler Eagle Staff Writer

CONNOQUENESSING — Kenway wags his brindle tail to greet a visitor to his cage at the Butler County Humane Society.

The 3-year-old pit bull mix is happy and friendly, despite a near deadly ordeal only days ago.

Someone shot him in his face and left him for dead.

Utility workers found the dog, then unnamed and untagged, roaming a road in Clinton Township. They contacted the humane society staff who retrieved the dog and got him to a veterinarian.

Humane society Executive Director Tyrell Sales said Kenway had a giant gap in his face and lead fragments through his cheek, mouth and body. His top jaw and sinus cavity were shattered.

A veterinarian wired shut his jaw, sewed the roof of his mouth together and tended to torn ligaments in his leg.

“During all of this he’s been a happy dog,” Sales said. “He hasn’t shown any aggression. He’s going to be a great addition to a family when he is medically cleared.”

Today, Kenway is eating watered down canned dog food and adjusting well to the facility that will be his home for months, said kennel director Shanna Best.

Because Kenway will require continuous veterinarian care, he won’t be placed up for adoption for months.

Best said the dog had no microchip to identify his owner and no one has claimed ownership or responsibility for the dog.

Kenway’s veterinarian bill is $1,848 but that will continue to mount as the care continues.

The humane society, a nonprofit that relies on donations, has established an Internet site for people wanting to donate to his care: https://www.gofundme.com/238kabw.

Although Kenway’s bill by itself doesn’t seem insurmountable, Sales said the organization relies on the generosity of the community and already uses its budgeted funds for the more than 40 dogs and 90 cats on site.

Best said, “You never know what a day is going to bring here.”

Meantime, someone at the humane society picked the name for the dog.

“If you Google Kenway, you can see it has many meanings, including courage and brave,” Sales said. “That seems right.”