Hewitt was working in Homestead as a contractor setting up irrigation systems for nurseries when he got the news that his family’s home had been broken into. His daughter was fine, but the family’s young pit bull mix Jaxon needed expensive surgery.
Note: He's either a Pit Bull mix or an American Bulldog mix. Some articles only refer to him as a Bulldog mixed breed.
“Our animals are part of our family,” he said. “I was beside myself; I didn’t know what to do.”
“I felt like dancing. I cried. It was wonderful,” Hewitt said, who added that Jaxon underwent a successful surgery and is recovering at home.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies are still searching for the people who are responsible for the crime.
The two armed suspects entered the house through the sliding glass door in the back where Jaxon was seated, according to PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera. The people inside woke when they heard the gunshot.
Hewitt’s eldest daughter tried to barricade herself in her room but the suspects shot through the door, Barbera said in a written statement. The men had just gotten through the door when a friend at the house fought them off.
The men ran away and deputies are still looking for clues. No humans in the house were injured and Jaxon is expected to survive the surgery.
Hewitt got choked up later just talking about the incident. It was a close call for both his daughter and his dog.
But Hewitt said he’s incredibly proud of his youngest daughter Darby, who wasn’t home at the time of the incident. Her quick thinking in starting a GoFundMe page is probably what saved Jaxon’s life.
“When I was stuck here I just felt completely helpless,” he said, “(but) she picked up the ball.”
Darby started the page right away, which raised $768 in three days.
“Right now we are going through a foreclosure and have little to a few dollars to our name,” Darby Hewitt wrote in the information box on the site. “I don’t even know if this is worth the time. All I know is I want my doggy saved.”
Rory Hewitt was ready to give Jaxon to Animal Care and Control when the good Samaritan stepped in.
It was the miracle they needed to save Jaxon, who they got less than a year ago when their previous dog was hit by a car.
“There are lots of good people left in this world,” Rory Hewitt said.
If he can find anonymous benefactor, Hewitt said he wants to give them the GoFundMe money to help offset the cost.
(My Palm Beach Post - Jan 9, 2017)
Update:
