Dog survives being shot in the head more than 40 times with air rifle pellets as owner arrested
Keks, a German Shepherd mix, has made a miraculous recovery after he was found by a passer-by
A man has been arrested after his dog was shot in the head more than 40 times with an air rifle.
Miraculously the animal, a German Shepherd mix called Keks, survived the ordeal in Germany earlier this year.
A passerby came across the injured pet in Bloaschütz, a village located in the municipality of Bautzen, in March and took him to an animal shelter for treatment.
An X-ray found between 40 and 50 pellets lodged in the dog, deep in its bones and muscles. The body scan image shows the pellets scattered throughout the dog’s forehead and neck.
The Bautzen Criminal Investigation Department searched the dog’s 48 year-old owner’s apartment in mid-August, took possession of the air rifle and arrested him, according to Der Spiegel.
The suspect is now being investigated for violations of the Animal Welfare Act and could face up to three years in prison if convicted.
Staff at Tierheim Bautzen, the shelter that took the dog in following the incident in March, said at first they though it was a stray.
“Our vet examined the dog thoroughly and took x-rays,” the animal shelter workers said in a statement post on Facebook. “Unbelievable what they showed.
“How cruel can a person be to inflict such pain and suffering on their animal.”
The dog needed three operations, at a cost of around €1,200.00 each, or more than £3,000 altogether. Appealing for help to fund the treatments, the shelter said they were unable to remove all of the pellets from the dog's head as some of them were too close to blood vessels.
Tierheim Bautzen posted a number of pictures showing Keks, which means ‘cookie’ in German, in bandages.
But in an update they said that the dog has since been adopted by a staff member at the shelter and is reportedly doing well in his new home.