Lucky dog! A pet dog in Brooklyn has miraculously survived being shot in the head by her owner's jealous ex-boyfriend.
The X-ray shows the slug pierced the 2-year-old pit bull's scull, narrowly missing her brain, before lodging in muscles in the back of her neck.
"I was in disbelief," said Dr Alex Schechter of BluePearl Veterinary Partners, who first treated Honey, a pit bull mix, after she was shot last Sunday.
"Then I realised, she's a very lucky dog."
Kenneth White shot Honey after holding a gun to ex- girlfriend Asha Stringfield's head and beating her up inside her apartment, according to Stringfield and prosecutors.
When police rushed the pooch to BluePearl, she was shaking and barking but had no visible wounds - until vets sedated her, looked in her mouth and saw the bullet's entry point.
After X-rays, Honey's care was transferred to the ASPCA, where she has already undergone two surgeries, according to Stringfield.
"They have to do another surgery and see if maybe they can take out the bullet," Stringfield, 24, said.
"They don't think they can - she might have it for the rest of her life. If they remove it she might die."
White, 47, is being held on Rikers Island in lieu of a USD 15,000 bail on charges including aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal contempt, assault, strangulation and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was first arrested for attacking Stringfield back in 2011. He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 75 days and ordered to stay away from her until May 19, 2016, court documents show.
Honey remains hospitalised but has been breathing and eating better in recent days, according to Stringfield.
"She might not survive but she's fighting and she's holding on strong," Stringfield said.
