Dog to Lose Leg After Package Thieves Leave Backyard Gate Open Leading to Dog Getting Hit By Car

A California family’s dog is set to have one of his legs amputated after a thief who stole holiday gifts from their yard left the gate open, allowing the canine to roam and get hit by a car.

Krystal Altamirano and her boyfriend David Lopez of Fontana said it was approximately 12:36 p.m., local time, on Dec. 3 when someone came onto their property and stole several Christmas gifts that were ordered online for Black Friday, according to KTLA and a GoFundMe account.

When the intruder left, they did not close the gate, and Lopez’s 2.5-year-old Australian blue heeler named Sparky and his other dog, Blazer, escaped. 

“If that never happened, we wouldn’t be living this nightmare,” Altamirano said on GoFundMe. 

Blazer returned on his own, but the couple and their family members spent around eight hours searching for Sparky throughout their neighborhood with no sign of the beloved pet, KTLA reported.

Altamirano said it was two days before they were able to find him, and that during this time, the wounded animal was “hurt, starving, dehydrated, and unable to move.”

“When my boyfriend finally found him, Sparky crawled out from under a structure and rolled onto his side as if begging for help. It was absolutely heartbreaking,” she said.

Sparky’s injuries included a broken foot, a fractured leg, a severe infection, and maggots inside his wound.

Additionally, one of their relatives, Emily Moreno, told KTLA that Sparky’s leg was nearly torn off, all the way up to his hip, with exposed bone and torn ligaments. 

Doctors tried to repair the wound, but it continued to reopen, leading the vet to suggest an amputation. It is believed that he may have been dragged after getting hit.

Photos shared with KTLA showed Sparky home, wearing an E-collar and a leg cast beside Blazer.

Moreno told the news station that prior to the incident, Sparky was an upbeat and active dog.

“He loved car rides, playing fetch, tug-of-war and running around with his brother,” she said. “All of this could have been prevented if the gate had simply been closed.”

Now, his owners have started the GoFundMe with a goal of $8,000 for Sparky’s emergency surgery and hospital care.

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“Losing our Christmas gifts was already painful… but nothing compares to seeing our dog suffering like this and not having the funds to save him. The timing, the holidays, everything hitting at once—it’s overwhelming,” Altamirano said in the GoFundMe.

PEOPLE reached out to the Fontana Police Department for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.