Absolutely disgraceful.
Shocking images show the horrific damage caused to a dog when he was blasted in the face from point-blank range with a shotgun.
The attack left Eric, an English bull terrier, with more than 50 lead pellets embedded underneath in his skin, with some even becoming lodged in his bone.
The injuries were sustained at some point in Turkey before March 2015, when his current owner Liz Haslam began the process of adopting him.
Liz, who runs Beds for Bullies dog rehoming centre, discovered the pellets after she took him to Swayne and Partners vets when the inside of his mouth swelled up.
The 48-year-old thought he had an abscess, but when the vets carried out an X-ray they were horrified to discover the pellets.
Credit: SWNS
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Eric is almost blind and it is thought this was probably caused by the blast. It is thought the six-year-old dog had been involved in dog fighting before he was rescued.
Liz, who lives in Barnham, Norfolk, said: "His life in Turkey must have been truly horrific; I try not to think about it.
"He must have taken the full blast by the way the pellets have hit his face.
"It is a wonder it didn't kill him straight away or he didn't die from septicaemia from the filthy conditions he was living in.
"It breaks my heart to think what he's been through but I can't allow that to tug on my heart strings because I have to get on with looking after him.
"If I did I would live in the past and I have to move forward. Sometimes I sit up awake at one or two or three o'clock in the morning and it concerns me but I have to put it in a box at the back of my mind and get on with looking after my dogs."
The mother-of-one first learnt about Eric in March 2015 when a friend contacted her and told her about him and raised the £2,500 to get him all his jabs and bring him to the UK.
An X-ray showing the damage done to the dog. Credit: SWNS
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Since arriving she has given him the best possible quality of life but says his sight has deteriorated to almost 'complete' blindness.
Liz has a habit of taking in dogs that have been mis-treated. She said: "All of my dogs have got issues and they are all rescue dogs.
"I live for my dogs and do everything I can for them.
"All the money is spent on them and I don't get a penny. I'm happy for people to donate to the vets directly so they can be sure where the money is going."
It's sad that people still treat animals like this.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS