Urgent appeal to find thug who shot puppy with a crossbow and chained her up by the side of the road

The RSPCA has issued an urgent appeal to find the thug who shot a puppy with a crossbow and then chained her up by the side of the road.

The Belgian Shepherd, called Nala, was found with the bolt in her leg by a passerby at a junction in Boston, Lincolnshire last Tuesday.

The 10-month-old pup, whose name was revealed on her microchip, was rushed to a vet where a huge bolt was subsequently removed from her body.

Miraculously Nala survived and vets say she is making a good recovery.

The RSPCA has followed up the details on the chip but haven't been able to find the owner.

They have now launched an appeal to members of the public for information about where Nala came from.

Animal rescue officer Dan Holman said: 'She is a very friendly dog and it is heartbreaking that she has gone through such a horrific experience.

'We just don't know why someone would do this to an innocent animal.

'The vets removed the bolt from her leg and she is making a good recovery.

'Despite what she's been through, she is a friendly dog and loves being told she is a good girl. She absolutely adores head and ear scratches too.'

Mr Holman added: 'Because we don't know where she came from, we're appealing to the public for help.

'If you have dashboard footage from the area from that day we'd be grateful if you got in touch.

'She was found at around 7.30am, next to the river on the road, near to the golf course.'

Anyone with information has been asked to contact the RSPCA's appeals line, in confidence, on 0300 123 8018, quoting reference 1354000.

Weapon attacks on animals have become more common in the last year, with the RSPCA seeing a 23 per cent rise in reports about the number of animals targeted in 2023, compared with 2022.

Last year, the RSPCA received reports about 370 animals being targeted by weapons, up from 300 in 2022.