Dog miraculously survives gunshot wound to his head: “He is the most gentle and friendliest boy”

A brave little corgi named Arthur was shot in the head but managed to survive on his own for days. The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) said that Arthur the corgi is lucky to be alive. The sweet pooch was found after he crawled under the fence at a family farm in New Holland, Lancaster County on July 14. The owners called Finding Shelter, a volunteer rescue organization. They in turn took the hurt animal to PSPCA’s affiliate Main Line Animal Rescue in Phoenixville on July 18 according to Herbert and Nicole Wilson, PSPCA’s director of Humane Law Enforcement and shelter operations, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

That's when veterinary staff discovered something far more serious with the dog. Not only did he have fleas, ear infections and anemia, they noticed a large wound in the middle of his head. It was crusted over with discharge and debris. After cleaning the wound Alicia Royer, the PSPCA veterinarian was shocked at what she discovered.  “When I was clipping and cleaning I realized what this was and it felt a little ghastly,” Royer said. “I had this feeling that it was a gunshot based on the circular pattern of the wound and the raised edges.” X-rays later confirmed her theory but miraculously the bullet missed the canine's brain! However there are several fragments which remain lodged in his jaw, Royer said who remains hopeful about the sweet dog's recovery. “Luckily for him, it’s been a little over a week and it’s healing up really, really well,” Royer said. “He’s such a happy guy. By the second day after he woke up from anesthesia he was giving us his cute little butt wiggles. He’s a pusher and a doer.”

"We are hopeful that Arthur will make a full recovery, but there are bullet fragments remaining," the PSPCA wrote on Instagram. "He may need specialty care to remove them. Only time will tell," they said of the bullet fragments. "But in the meantime, he is the most gentle and friendliest boy. Everyone loves him and we've learned that he loves chicken nuggets. We have a feeling he’ll be getting A LOT of those. We cannot imagine why anyone would shoot such a wonderful dog. But, our officers will do everything they can to find out."
 

An investigation is currently underway. Nicole Wilson, PSCPA's director of humane law enforcement and shelter operations, told the Inquirer that Arthur's owners were found by investigators. They living on a farm near where the dog was found. "Unfortunately, as many dogs often will, he did not stay on his own property," Wilson told the Inquirer. "At that point, he became missing. The owners had apparently reached out to neighbors to ask if they'd seen him, but they didn't find him."

“Clearly somebody out there knows what happened and hopefully if they see the story someone will contact us,” Wilson said. “The nature of this case, this wasn’t a dog attacking something and they were stopping that dog in mid-action. This injury shows somebody in close proximity attempting to kill this dog.”

Anyone with information can call PSPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement team at 866-601-SPCA. Those who would like to donate can do so at pspca.org/arthur or via Venmo at @pspca. If you would like to adopt Arthur, can contact the Main Line Animal Rescue at [email protected]

Cover Image Source: Instagram | pspca