THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. -- Eight-year-old Labrador 'Nerd' has seen better days.

Stitches mark where his hind leg used to be. Someone shot him during his walk in a rural part of the county one week ago on Sunday.

Owner Lori Kellogg said she turned her back for just a minute, heard a gunshot then saw her dog covered in blood.

"I went crazy," she said. "I just snapped and I screamed."

Kellogg said Nerd was running under a fence, following a curious scent when he was shot.

"It was beyond any yelp that I have ever heard. It was almost human, it was screaming," said Kellogg. "And, believe it or not, I saw tears in his eyes. It must have been more pain than he could handle because he just couldn't quit screaming."

Neighbors heard the blast, then Kellogg's screams. They found her and Nerd and his pool of blood, and rushed them to the nearest emergency vet.

X-rays showed extreme damage to the dog's ankle. Doctors made the tough choice to amputate the entire leg.

"My hardened techs - it even grossed them out because the leg just flopped and it had a gaping wound in it where it hit, and the leg was just barely held on," said Dr. Jerry Brown with Yelm Veterinary Hospital.

The dog is now recovering, learning to walk on three legs. He's managing rather well, and doctors say he should be back up to full speed in a few more weeks.

A neighbor paid for all of the medical costs, which totaled more than $2,000.

Kellogg is grateful for the generosity and for Nerd's promising recovery. But she won't rest easy until detectives find the person behind the cold-blooded crime.

"It's not fair for it to happen to any dog, a stray dog even," she said. "But this is a family dog (who was) born on Valentine's Day, a sweetheart. And he doesn't deserve it, and I want the people caught that did it."

So far investigators have no suspects.

A fund has been set up for Nerd at Anchor Bank to help Kellogg pay back her neighbor. Any extra donations will be given to the non-profit group Concern for Animals.