6-week-old Rock Hill puppy shot by BB gun adopted

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A 6-week-old puppy, recovering from being shot nearly 18 times with a BB gun, has been adopted Wednesday by a local family in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Rock Hill police told Channel 9, they responded to the Wildwood Springs Apartments on Springdale Road about 5 p.m. Sunday. A utility worker told officers he saw 15 to 20 juveniles playing with a black puppy.

• READ our update on Brody's recovery

According to the report, officers spoke with those juveniles, who said someone who stays in the apartment complex had stabbed the puppy and shot the puppy with a BB gun. They did not know who did it.

The officer then put the puppy in a box in his patrol car and tried to comfort it.

Two teenagers were arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with the case.

The puppy was taken to Ebenezer Animal Hospital, where veterinarians found 18 BB pellets lodged in the dog’s skin and muscle and a number of intestinal parasites, according to clinic co-owner April Splawn. They determined the Labrador mix puppy is about 6 weeks old.

“He seems like he’s going to pull through,” Splawn said. “He’s a strong little boy. He’s really, really sweet.”

Splawn said employees at the hospital named the puppy Brody.

Doctors said the dog was not stabbed and stabilized Brody with fluids and pain medication. They said he is now able to move around and eat.

“There is no doubt here, this is one of the worst acts I've ever seen and it's hard to think that someone could be capable of doing something to an animal this young and defenseless,” said Dr. Jay Hreiz.

Because of the dog’s young age, it’s too risky to put him under anesthesia to remove the BBs, doctors said. The BBs are not lodged in any vital organs, so it’s possible they may not need to be removed.

“He’s really young, so he has a remarkable ability to heal at his age,” Hreiz said. “Brody may be able to live a healthy normal life with all those BBs in him.”

None of the juveniles outside the apartment complex Sunday admitted to harming the puppy, and police said the case remains under investigation. Rock Hill Police told Channel 9 Tuesday afternoon, that they are close to making an arrest.

Once the puppy is fully recovered, he will be put up for adoption through Project Safe Pet, a local nonprofit.

Brody can get lifelong care at Ebenezer Animal Hospital. He should be able to go home with his new family in the next few days.

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