Riverside County Animal Services is investigating after a 4-month-old chihuahua puppy was found with an arrow in its neck in the Coachella Valley.
The puppy was taken to an animal hospital Monday morning after it was found on the 155000 block of Avenida Florencita in the unincorporated area of Desert Hot Springs.
A woman called the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to report that she was awoken by the “screaming” dog, according to Animal Services.
A sheriff’s deputy and an animal services officer responded to the area to collect the female chihuahua and take it to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms for treatment.
The young dog was sedated and veterinarians captured X-rays of her wounds. Luckily, the projectile avoided any vital arteries and the veterinarian team approved the removal of the arrow from the dog’s neck.
“For someone to willfully shoot this poor pup with an arrow is disgusting,” Riverside County Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said in a news release. “We are shocked and we hope someone can provide us any information as to who did this.”
Despite its injuries, the dog is expected to make a recovery. Animal services will continue to treat the dog and then work on finding her a new home, Gettis said.
Anyone with information about the injured dog is urged to call Riverside County Animal Services at 951-358-7387 or reach out via email.
This incident comes less than a month after a burro died after it was shot with an arrow in the Reche Canyon area of Riverside County.