Pup on the mend after being shot in the head. ‘A bullet hasn’t stopped Miss Scarlet’
An extremely sweet mama dog is on the mend after she was shot in the head while roaming a neighbor’s property, Ohio media outlets said.
Miss Scarlet, a pit bull mix, was brought to a vet by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Cincinnati on March 17 after receiving a call that the dog had been shot, WKRC reported.
“Scarlet was out of her yard. She was on her neighbor’s property. The neighbor did shoot Scarlet,” SPCA chief humane agent Brandon Corcoran said, according to WKRC. “Had it been a higher caliber, we wouldn’t be discussing Scarlet today. She’s very lucky to be here.”
Scarlet had given birth to eight puppies before the incident occurred, and she was still nursing, WKRC said. Care Center Vets took in the entire bunch before transferring them over to the SPCA.
“Rest now sweetheart. You’re in loving hands. It was a very busy morning for our team as we took in Miss Scarlet and her 8 puppies from our community partner Care Center Vets. We give many thanks to their outstanding team, as well as Natalie Lotspeich, for their dedication and rescue efforts,” the SPCA said in a Facebook post on March 18.
“Miss Scarlet is the most loving dog. Nonreactive. Just... thankful to be alive and protected. Now is the time to heal.”
Since then, the mama pup has been healing and veterinarian Jennifer Smith gave an update on her, posted on the shelter’s Facebook page on March 31.
“A bullet hasn’t stopped Miss Scarlet. She is determined and doing phenomenal, all things considered,” the caption said, along with a video showing Smith and Scarlet.
“You can see the entry wound for the bullet on her head is healing up wonderfully,” Smith points out in the video. “The bullet had gone down and went by her ear canal and we were worried that the ear canal might have been destroyed. But the canal is open. It seems intact.”
Smith noted that there is a little swelling where the bullet traveled down and that they’re monitoring it in case of infection.
The vet demonstrates how well Scarlet is walking even though the bullet hit part of her leg bone and chipped it.
“This dog, for having what in many cases would have been, you know, a fatal gunshot wound to the head, she’s just doing great,” Smith said. “Her puppies are doing really well in foster. They’re not quite old enough yet to be altered to be spayed and neutered, so we’re waiting at least another week for them to get a little bit older and then they’ll start coming back in for surgeries.”
Scarlet is still in the process of healing and is not available for adoption yet.
For more updates on Scarlet and her puppies, visit the SPCA Cincinnati’s Facebook page.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Pup on the mend after being shot in the head. ‘A bullet hasn’t stopped Miss Scarlet’."