Man pleads for help after service dog is shot on Oakland freeway

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The CHP is asking for witnesses to come forward after a man and a service dog under his care were injured in a shooting on an Oakland freeway.

The dog remains at a veterinary hospital recovering while the man is pleading for help.

RELATED: East Bay cities optimistic about 'ShotSpotting' technology to detect gunfire on freeways

"Some bullet fractured in my neck here, in the back of the neck, in the front of the neck I'd be dead," said David Freitag of San Leandro.

His wounds are still fresh.

Freitag was driving eastbound on I-980 near I-580 around 7:30 p.m. Friday when multiple bullets struck his rental car, shattering windows. Four-year-old service dog Layla was in the passenger seat.

"Standing next to me with the bullets entering from the side, she probably took them before they got to me," Freitag said.

Layla was shot twice. The Shepherd-Pharoah Hound mix is still recovering at the VCA Bay Area emergency hospital in San Leandro.

The pooch is feared paralyzed. "She can't feel pain in her leg, she can't move her tail," Freitag said.

Layla's owner is pleading for witnesses to come forward.

"I have PTSD and she's my emotional service dog and I can't be alone," said Nanita Nakaya-Kiser of Alameda. She's had Layla for the past two years.

On top of the emotional anguish, the financial costs are adding up.

"It's breaking my heart, and the thing is, it's costing an extreme amount of money just for one and a half days. Over $5,000," Nakaya-Kiser said.

One difficult option is to put down the dog.

"The vets want us to make a decision and right now, I don't know if either one of us is ready to make a decision," Freitag said.

While the CHP investigates the shooting, time is running out for Layla.

"I want a miracle," Nakaya-Kiser said. "I asked her to get up and walk today."

They have set up a GoFundMe page to help with veterinary costs to support Layla's recovery: https://www.gofundme.com/layla-hero-dog.