Charges filed against owner of dog shot with arrow

A Goodland Township man has been charged with shooting his dog in the head with a crossbow arrow in March, Lapeer County's chief animal control officer said today.

Christopher Scott, 28, was charged with one count of animal cruelty, killing or torturing an animal, a four-year felony, Animal Control's Chief Officer Aimee Orn said. He is accused of shooting Gemma, an approximately 2-year-old, black flat-coated retriever, in the head.

The charge is filed in 71A District Court in Lapeer. Scott is not in custody and has not been arraigned, officials said. No court date has been set, according to the court. The charge was filed Thursday.

Gemma was found March 30 by Jim O'Dell of Lake Orion as he pulled into the driveway of a vacant house he had been working on in North Branch in rural Lapeer County.

Gemma was sitting at the side of the driveway, just waiting for him and one of his employees, O'Dell previously told the Free Press. He called animal control and petted the dog until authorities arrived.

They believed Gemma had the guesstimated 15- to 18-inch-long arrow protruding from the top of her head for two days.

A veterinarian in Imlay City removed the arrow, which Orn said miraculously missed Gemma's brain and optic nerve.

Through a tip, investigators determined Gemma's owner allegedly took her to a field and shot her two days before she was found.

The owner previously told authorities that Gemma was acting aggressively toward his other dog. Orn said investigators didn't see another dog at his property when they went to interview him initially.

Gemma continues to recover at animal control.

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com . Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.