CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A pit bull-Lab mix had bullet fragments removed from its jaw after being shot in the mouth earlier this week.
The dog's owner, Angel Wilks, said the dog, named Squirt, is expected to recover.
Wilks said Squirt has to wear a muzzle for four to 6 weeks and only eat soft foods.
[LINK: Donate to help Squirt's recovery]
Police said no arrests have been made after Squirt was shot Wednesday evening in north Charlotte.
“That was just a ruthless and cold act because he wasn't bothering nobody,” Wilks said. "I don’t think they had a care in the world after what they did."
Wilks said she is thankful her dog survived.
"It was horrible,” she said. “I can't imagine who would want to do anything like this to him. He's very friendly. He's very playful. Everyone on this street knows him."
Wilks said Squirt was tied up to a tree for just 10 minutes while she was cleaning up inside.
There was blood on the sidewalk, feet away from where she said police found a bullet casing.
"They picked that up and took it in as evidence to see (if) maybe they can get a fingerprint off of it,” Wilks said.
Animal control is investigating.
"It saddens me to see my best friend like this,” Wilks said.
Wilks said she briefly saw two teens running away after she heard the gunshot.
"If you would shoot an animal, then you would shoot anybody,” she said. "The bullet could have came through anybody's house. It could have hit someone but unfortunately, it hit my baby right here."
Animal control is paying part of the costs associated with this case through their safety net fund.
Wilks is asking anyone with information to call police.
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