Home invaders shoot puppy at close range

WHERE IT WENT: An x-ray shows a bullet and fragments lodged in the upper jaw of a bull mastiff puppy shot at close range in a home invasion in Invercargill on Saturday night.

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A puppy was shot at close range in a home invasion on Saturday night after two armed men burst into a south Invercargill house.

Police are still looking for the men who went into the house armed with a .22-calibre rifle and demanded drugs from the man who lives there, before firing shots.

Detective Sergeant Dave Nelson, of Invercargill CIB, said the offenders, who were in camouflage, went into the unlocked Woodhouse St house about 10pm.

The man, who was in the bathroom at the time, heard noises and went to investigate, Mr Nelson said.

"He opened the door to see the two males holding a .22-calibre firearm."

The man told police the rifle was also disguised, he said.

"It was fully covered in camouflage tape."

The men demanded drugs from the man and a "number of shots" were fired by one of the intruders, with one of the shots hitting the puppy, Mr Nelson said.

The offenders left when the man told them he had called police, he said.

The severely injured puppy was taken from the house to an emergency on-call veterinarian and underwent surgery to remove a bullet from its jaw, Mr Nelson said.

Veterinarian Dr Sandy Cooper, of Elles Road Veterinary Centre, said she worked on Saturday night to stabilise the puppy, a bull mastiff-cross bitch, before a complex surgery on Sunday afternoon.

The incident was unusual, she said.

"It's not common for vets to see dogs that are shot in malice at close range."

X-rays revealed the bullet had entered through the left side of the puppy's nose before lodging in the hard palette at the back of the mouth.

Surgery focused on removing the bullet and numerous metal fragments shed along the trajectory of the bullet and then reconstructing the dog's nose, Dr Cooper said.

The dog was back with its owner and recovering, she said.

Meanwhile, neighbours in Woodhouse St said yesterday they were oblivious to the drama in their street on Saturday night.

"That scares me," one woman said.

"I don't like to hear of that sort of thing in my street."

Mr Nelson asked anyone with information relating to the incident, including anyone who saw the men dressed in camouflage in a vehicle, to contact him at Invercargill police.

- © Fairfax NZ News