LA GRANDE, Ore. -- A young dog is recovering in the La Grande area after it was nearly dragged to death.

Tuck, an 18-month-old German shorthair pointer, was found along a rural highway with his paws, his right side and his shoulder injured so badly the wounds exposed bone.

Police say someone had tied a length of rope around the dog's neck, then dragged him behind a vehicle.

His owners -- the McDaniel family -- had left Tuck at home in his dog run before going to a track meet in Joseph. The family searched for him for an entire day before an Elgin man spotted the injured dog alongside the road and rescued him.

A veterinarian was able to patch up most of Tuck's wounds -- but the he still faces the threat of a bone infection before he can fully recover.

The Union County sheriff's office is investigating.