THOUSAND PALMS (CNS) – A Chihuahua puppy that was shot through the
neck with an arrow in Desert Hot Springs is enjoying life anew today with a La
Quinta woman who adopted her.

Lyn Thornton was selected from among a bevy of prospective adopters —
one as far away as Thailand — who sought to take the four-month-old female
pup home. Thornton retrieved her new four-legged friend Thursday from the
Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms.

“I want to let you know how grateful I am that you chose us,”
Thornton said in a message to the Riverside County Department of Animal
Services. “After a lunch of shredded chicken, we took her home to meet her
family. She chose to play with her new brother on the bed. I could tell she
felt safe and slept very soundly.”

Thornton named the pup “Tiffany Grace.” A video of the two uniting
is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dLPqD-1gmE&feature=youtu.be.

Video of the pup, immediately before and after surgery, can be found
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSo9hxeS0Qc.

Tiffany was rescued on the morning of May 23 after a man in the 15500
block of Avenida Florencita, near Camino Campanero, heard the little dog
yelping in pain and went outside to investigate, according to Department of
Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.

The man found the Chihuahua with an arrow penetrating straight through
her neck and called 911.

The canine was turned over to a sheriff’s deputy, who then
relinquished it to an animal control officer, after which she was transferred
to the Thousand Palms facility for surgical removal of the arrow, according to
Welsh.

He said that, amazingly, the projectile did not “strike the puppy’s
vital arteries.”

The canine spent the ensuing week recovering before being placed for
adoption.

“As much as I was very troubled to learn about what someone did to
this puppy, I was equally proud that we gave this very sweet girl a chance at a
better future,” Department of Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said.

The nonprofit Michelson Found Animals Foundation was appalled by the
act of cruelty and has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the
arrest and prosecution of the party or parties responsible.

According to Welsh, the Department of Animal Services has never
received a sum so large to provide as a reward connected to a cruelty
investigation.

“People who hurt animals are far more likely to cause harm to
humans,” foundation founder Dr. Gary Michelson said. “While this is a
sickening incident on its own, these acts are rarely isolated.”

Gettis said she hoped the reward would “encourage someone to come
forward and help us identify who committed this terrible crime.”

PETA intends to offer a $5,000 reward of its own, and the Animal
Solutions Konnection — ASK — Foundation also intends to offer a reward, in
the amount of $1,000, Welsh said.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the Department of Animal
Services via email at shelterinfo@rivco.org.

CNS-06-03-2022 11:28

Chihuahua Puppy Shot with Arrow Welcomed into New Home