Dog shot in skull with crossbow bolt in Peterborough Published duration 23 October 2014

media caption "The dog is making a miraculous recovery and should be 100% fine very, very soon," the RSPCA said

A dog was shot through the skull with a bolt from a crossbow which "narrowly" missed his brain and eyes.

The Staffordshire bull terrier was found in remote woodland near Wansford, Peterborough on Wednesday morning. It is thought he was left roaming with the bolt stuck in his head for a few days.

The 50cm weapon had gone through one side of his head and out the other.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "Whoever did this took a very intentional shot at very close range."

The dog, called Ziggy, is now recovering from surgery.

The vet who removed the bolt said the weapon had "deflected off the skull and missed Ziggy's organs by mere millimetres".

image copyright RSPCA image caption The fact the weapon missed the dog's brain, eyes and ears was "a miracle", his rescuers said

image copyright RSPCA image caption The bolt was removed by a vet, but Ziggy was "not yet out of the woods", the RSPCA said

He said it was too early to speculate on the recovery from his ordeal and operation and his progress was being closely monitored.

RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs said: "I think they must have been aiming at the back of the head and Ziggy must have moved at just the right distance right at the last minute."

He said it was likely the dog had been "roaming about in the middle of nowhere for a couple of days with this bolt stuck in his head, terrified and in complete agony" before being spotted by two walkers.

"It really broke my heart this one," Mr Stubbs said.

image copyright RSPCA image caption Ziggy had been deliberately attacked and left in remote woodland, the RSPCA said

"What really got me was the way Ziggy sat there, with that bolt through his head, wagging his tail at me in such a good-natured way asking for a bit of a fuss."

The RSPCA has appealed for information about the attack.