Geronimo cuddles with worker Lydia Ferrell at The Dog Pound in Athens. The beagle needs donations to pay the medical bill he incurred after someone shot him with an arrow, piercing his lung and liver. Then he can be adopted at a more palatable price.

An affable beagle named Geronimo needs your donations and a good home in order to escape the Athens dog pound.

The happy-go-lucky 1- or 2-year-old ran up about an $800 medical bill in May after someone shot him in the side with an arrow, piercing his lung and liver. Veterinarian Robert Pitman was able to save the dog.

“He is the happiest dog,” said Lydia Ferrell, 16, who works at the pound. “Even when he came in and still had the arrow in him, he was wagging his tail. He is the first one to greet you when you go into the pound. He is so fun and energetic. He is one of those dogs who – if you’ve had a bad day – makes you happy.”

Although the pound has gathered some donations to pay his medical expenses, Geronimo still has quite a tab, which also includes the cost of neutering and a rabies vaccination.

“One little girl brought in (aluminum) cans to help pay Geronimo’s bill,” said Timberly Sands, director of The Dog Pound at 1701 U.S. 72 East. “Another came all the way from Huntsville with a cup containing $2.64 in change she had collected. We all chipped in to make the donation an even $5.”

Geronimo, the Apache warrior, fought against both Mexican and United States troops and became famous for his daring exploits and numerous escapes from capture from 1858 to 1886, according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Geronimo the dog was named for his invulnerability to arrows.

An animal-control officer brought Geronimo to the pound May 22 after a caller reported seeing a dog pierced by an arrow rummaging through garbage near Section Line Road. Geronimo and another beagle had reportedly been foraging in the area during the week before the shooting.

“We believe someone shot him to keep him out of the garbage,” Sands said. “Many times an animal will die once the object is removed but, in this case, Dr. Pitman said the wound had time to cauterize because the arrow stayed in.”

The whereabouts of the other garbage-eating dog is unknown, Sands said.

“No one has seen it since,” she said.

Investigators tried to determine who shot the dog but, so far, they have been unsuccessful.

Ferrell hopes people will donate to Geronimo, even if only a few dollars.

“That way he could be adopted for the same cost as other pets here,” she said.