MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) — In a story you'll see first on CBS 58, there's a happy ending for one of the dogs shot by a Thiensville police officer on April 23. Former Thiensville police officer Richard McCormick, as seen on surveillance video, fired 16 shots at two abandoned dogs. One of them, later named "BD" died. After weeks of surgeries and therapy, the other dog -- named Ranger -- was just adopted by the women who rescued him.

"It was just surreal to be able to see him come out and be so happy and look so healthy after we had seen him last," said Danielle Dietz. 

Danielle Dietz, alongside Alicia Hegedus, rescued and adopted Ranger. They were able to trap him after he spent 17 days in the woods, injured by former officer McCormick. According to police reports, he went out of his jurisdiction into Mequon even though the Mequon Police Department hours earlier, had decided they were going to wait until they could catch the dogs safely.

Dr. James Crosby, a canine aggression expert and former law-enforcement officer who is known best for investigating severe and fatal dog attacks and the use of force by police in dog encounters helped us understand the situation between Officer McCormick, BD, and Ranger. He said he didn't want to make "a sweeping generalization" without knowing local policies, procedures, and watching the fully unredacted video, but "there were a number of issues" he questioned. 

"Why did the officer perceive these dogs to be a threat to him when he initiated the contact?" asked Dr. Crosby. "If he was worried about his safety, why didn't he just get back in the car? And why did the officer feel that he needed to apparently shoot as many times as he did? Because as police officers, we're trained to shoot only to remove a threat." He noted that he agreed with Mequon PD's original assessment of leaving the dogs alone until they had the proper resources and a plan in place. 

The Ozaukee County District Attorney's Office said possible charges are under review but no decision has been made yet. Dr. Crosby estimated the charges could not be filed yet because of the detail and time it takes to do a good, solid evidence-based investigation. Charges that he believes McCormick could be charged with could be animal cruelty or aggravated animal cruelty, but there could be other ordinances, codes, or statues involved.

Meanwhile, Ranger's moms are asking for justice.

"We're not going to stop. No, we will, we will continue to pursue the issue. We will continue to make phone calls until this is reviewed and charges are filed," said Hegedus.

"We're really passionate and focused on continuing to like drive the path forward for long-term systemic change, so that is our ultimate goal," Dietz said. 

Dr. Crosby noted there are free resources to anyone interested on how to safely handle dog encounters. You can find that here.

Ranger has now been home for one week, living with Dietz. He welcomed our CBS 58 crew with friendly kisses and many tail wags.

"He is a happy, normal dog, and with a great temperament, who was in a situation where he was scared and confused and unsure of who to trust in that moment," said Dietz.

The dog's vest reads "Ranger The Resilient" and he is proving that right. Hegedus noted there is still a road to recovery ahead, filled with therapy and surgeries. They created a GoFundMe to help with the costs.