A Woodville, Ohio, dog is now beginning a different life as a tripod after being shot by the village K-9 officer in November.

Moses, a nearly 6-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove his right front leg and shoulder blade.

Dr. Gary Thompson, of West Suburban Animal Hospital in Sylvania Township, said the amputation went smoothly with no problems.

“He’s resting comfortably,” the veterinarian said Tuesday. “He’s on pain medication and doing just fine.”

Moses is to go home this morning with owners Thomas and Lauren Bischoff. Full recovery is expected to take about 10 to 14 days, and he should not need further treatment.

“We’re happy about that,” Mrs. Bischoff said. “There’s nothing more you can do. He’s always been a runner and he loves running, so we’ll be interested to see how this affects him. We’re hoping this doesn’t slow him down for too long.”

Moses is often free to roam his owners’ business property at 875 E. Main St.

On Nov. 3, he left the property via a secondary access drive for trucks and walked onto the road to the spot where K-9 Officer Steve Gilkerson had pulled over a vehicle for speeding.

The officer said in a written statement that Moses was targeted on him in an unfriendly way and did not respond to vocal commands, so he shot him. The bullet shattered the dog’s foreleg.

Witnesses claimed the dog was not acting aggressively, posed no threat, and walked up to the officer sniffing the ground and wagging his tail.

The day after the incident, Officer Gilkerson was cleared of violating department policy or state law by an ad-hoc review panel of area law enforcement officers assembled by Police Chief Roy Whitehead, even though the panel interviewed none of the witnesses to the police shooting.

The Sandusky County prosecutor decided last month that Officer Gilkerson’s actions did not rise to a criminal level and he will not be charged.

Moses had surgery Nov. 5 to place rods and pins in his leg, but the attempt to save his leg ultimately failed. Dr. Thompson discovered last week that the blood flow in his leg was too compromised and the bone was not healing, despite a procedure that took bone marrow from the dog’s shoulder and injected it into the injured area to stimulate healing. Pieces of the bone had begun to die.

The veterinarian said Moses should adjust rapidly to being a tripod, and should not suffer ill effects later from the amputation. He had gotten used to hobbling on three legs while dragging the injured leg and the hardware attached to it.

“I think he’s used to it and it will be a little easier for him now that he doesn’t have to carry all that weight around,” Mrs. Bischoff said.

The case has divided the small community of Woodville. A number of residents have called for Officer Gilkerson to undergo a psychological evaluation and for the department to get dashboard cameras for its vehicles. Others support the police department and say Moses should have been properly contained on the property.

Woodville Mayor Richard Harman refused to comment Tuesday.

“I’m not going to answer any more f-ing questions,” he said.

The village has since installed dashboard cameras and outfitted officers with body cameras. Mayor Harman said previously the village is bringing in Texas-based Canine Encounters Law Enforcement Training in May to hold a training course in recognizing and dealing with canine aggression in the field.

The village has not contributed toward Moses’ medical expenses, nor has there been any discussion of it according to the mayor’s previous comments. Mayor Harman has said such an action could be misconstrued as admission of wrongdoing.

The Bischoffs have not decided whether to file a civil lawsuit. Mrs. Bischoff said she is most offended and upset by a lack of communication. The family received no official notice of the prosecutor’s decision, nor has any village official made a courtesy call to check on Moses’ recovery.

“There’s been no contact whatsoever,” she said.

A Facebook page called “Justice 4 Moses” has been created in support of the dog. An ongoing online fund-raiser at gofundme.com/​gs5njc has raised $6,085 for his care, and the family has said any excess money will be donated to an animal-related charity.

Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.

First Published February 11, 2015, 5:00 a.m.