Paxton was found by a local woman named Andria at the beach on the north shore. He was lying on the ground, emaciated, and unable to get up. It was clear that he had been suffering for a while. Adria offered him some of her snacks and his eyes lit up, and she knew he wanted to live.

Andria called everyone she thought may be able to help, including HHS, DLNR, etc. For three days straight Andria drove up to visit Paxton and brought him food and water. She wanted to get him off the beach and somewhere safe but didn’t know how or where. Her friends came with her too, and soon they were all attached to Paxton, offering up their apples and other treats they had packed for themselves. 

Finally, Andria got ahold of a vet who came out to help. The vet knew us at the sanctuary, and called us to ask if we could help provide a place for Paxton to recover. We thought he could potentially have an infection and simply need antibiotics, however, after getting Paxton into a clinic and reviewing his x-ray, we realized his leg bones had been shattered. He had a bullet wound to his leg which seriously debilitates him, and probably this is what caused him to get so skinny and sickly.

Over the following weeks of making it to sanctuary, Paxton received daily bed baths and was hand fed. Gradually, he regained his strength and started scooting himself off his bed and around. One day, Paxton stood up. After about one month of recovering, Paxton took his first steps. 
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Today, Paxton runs all over the sanctuary with Charlotte and Yoru. You would never know all that he has been through. He is still a bit shy but appreciates belly rubs and pets from the humans who helped him during his weakest times. He loves to burrow into the deep grass in the pasture and the volunteers often have to go find him in his favorite spots to give him dinner.