Shots from a pellet gun hit a dog in the face, breaking its jaw, and authorities in Stearns County are looking for the pet's owner and whoever inflicted the wounds.
The yellow Lab was found by a passerby shortly before 9 a.m. Monday about a mile north of Avon under a tree and with four pellet wounds on its face and two on its hind quarters, according to the Sheriff's Office.
A sheriff's deputy brought the dog to a veterinarian, who determined that several of the shots penetrated the dog's muzzle and broke its jaw, the Sheriff's Office added. The dog is now in county custody.
Authorities announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identity of whoever is responsible for the abuse.
Anyone with information about the dog's owner or the circumstances of it being shot is urged to call the Sheriff's Office at 1-320-251-4240 CrimeStoppers at 1-320-255-1301 or 1-800-255-1301.
