A picture of the 6-month-old German Sheppard puppy was released moments before he was put down.
"This animal suffered, it's disgusting," said John Welsh with Riverside County Animal Services
A Riverside security guard with La Sierra University found the dog near the intersection of Raley Drive and Elm Street Wednesday morning. He was up against a fence alive, but in incredible pain.
Authorities say the arrow went through his spine and punctured his lung.
"This animal was crashing so hard and so fast that it was the humane thing to do to put it down right away," said Welsh.
The arrow that was in the little German Sheppard is now in two separate pieces. Animal services says you can actually see bite marks on the back of the arrow because the German Sheppard pulled the arrow out of his body all by himself.
Veterinarian Eileen Sanders says on a pain scale from one to 10, the puppy was at a nine or 10.
"We wanted to try to save him," said Sanders. "It just does so much for our employees and for our morale. It's nice to tell the public that we can do something good, and it just didn't work out."
The person who shot the dog could be looking at felony animal cruelty charges.
If you know who that person is or who this dog belongs to, call Riverside County Animal Services at 951-358-PETS. A $500 reward is offered.
