Dog survives being shot with crossbow

CROSWELL - Marty is doing much better, but the 7-year-old shepherd-husky mix still is recovering from two horrific wounds.

Marty, who had been missing three weeks, came home with two crossbow bolts in his head. He is still under veterinary care, Tammy Lortt said Tuesday.

She posted on Facebook after her brother, Jason Lumley, found Marty. He owns Marty and another dog.

"He was shot twice in the head," she said. "He was missing nearly three weeks until he came back.

"He is improving; he is improving every day."

Marty got loose on Gardner Line Road between Vincent and Babcock roads, west of Lexington.

Sanilac County Sheriff Garry Biniecki said deputies have a suspect in the case.

The sheriff's office conducted an investigation and identified a suspect, Biniecki said. Deputies acquired both evidence and a confession of the person's guilt, and should receive a warrant for an animal cruelty charge soon, Biniecki said. 

"Animals are pretty special and people need to realize you need to take care of them," Biniecki said. 

Lortt, who lives in Croswell, said she was horrified at Marty's injuries.

"My heart just sank," she said. "I don’t even know how to put it into words. Devastation, you know."

She said her brother told her Marty also might have some broken and missing teeth.

Lortt said an investigator told her Marty might have been held for a while.

"He would have assumed that dog was being held because he was missing in sub-zero temperatures," she said.

The crossbow bolts have been removed, but Marty might need additional surgery, she said.

Lortt, who said she has two miniature dachshunds, said she hopes whoever shot Marty will be punished.

"I just hope whoever did it gets prosecuted," she said.

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.