A chihuahua puppy who was found Monday shot through the neck with an arrow in Southern California is expected to survive after veterinarians successfully removed the projectile, authorities said.
A woman called 911 to report she’d found the wounded animal Monday in a neighborhood near the city of Desert Hot Springs after hearing the puppy “screaming,” according to Riverside County Animal Services.
A sheriff’s deputy picked up the 4-month-old female puppy and transferred it to an animal services officer who brought the pup to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus.
Veterinary staff determined that the arrow did not strike the puppy’s vital arteries and it was removed.
“For someone to willfully shoot this poor pup with an arrow is disgusting,” Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said in the statement. “We are shocked and we hope someone can provide us with any information as to who did this.”
Gettis said the agency will continue to treat the puppy and work on finding her a home.
"It’s amazing to see her affection, despite what occurred," veterinary technician Emily Ellison said.
"She is such a sweet puppy. I cannot imagine why anyone would do something so terrible to such an innocent creature,” she added.
