A two-year-old pit bull is recovering in Manatee County after being struck in the head with an ax.
"Someone had approached him and said they saw a dog that was wandering around the neighborhood that looked like it had been hit with a hatchet or ax," said Kris Weiskopf, Chief of Manatee County Animal Services.
Weiskopf said one of his officers found the injured dog on Monday in the 200-block of 60th Avenue W. in Bradenton.
He said no one in the area knew any information about what happened to the dog or who injured him.
Dr. Luke Berglund, who is caring for the dog at Beach Veterinary Clinic in Bradenton, said the dog, now called Axel, came very close to death.
"I cannot believe it didn't hit his brain," said Berglund. "It was deep, really deep. I bet the thing went in an inch or two."
Amazingly, the ax hit the dog's sinus cavity, just missing his brain.
As a result of his injuries, Axel received around 40 stitches.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
Animal Services do not know who did this to Axel and are offering a $500 reward to find out what happened to him.
Sue Kolze, with Animal Network Inc. in Manatee County, said her group is offering the reward and paying for Axel's medical bills.
She said she is very upset about what happened to him.
"Very angry, very upset people would do this to a dog." said Kolze. "I know they do it to other people and their children too and it's time to stop this."
Despite Axel's injuries, the dog is not showing any signs of aggression.
"He's great, a nice dog, so it's really unfortunate," said Berglund. "I don't know why people do that."
It's a mysterious act of violence that will hopefully be solved soon.
For the next few weeks, Axel will be cared for by a foster family. After this time, he'll be put up for adoption.
If you know any information about what happened to him, you're asked to call Sue Kolze at 941-729-86-31 or Animal Services at 941-742-5933 X8314.