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Berkeley Pit Bull Shot 38 Times With BB Gun

BERKELEY (KCBS) - When Berkeley animal care officials sent a recently rescued pit bull puppy with clipped ears to the veterinarian, they discovered signs of extreme abuse.

X-rays revealed 38 BB gun pellets in the animal's body, said Amelia Funghi, the community services coordinator for Berkeley Animal Care Services.

"They were able to remove nine and the remainder are going to need some pretty extensive surgery to get them out," she said.

Berkeley city officials have started a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of those procedures.

Funghi said they are also asking for the public's help to locate whoever shot and mutilated the dog.

This animal is the third pit bull puppy the city has rescued this year suffering from BB gun shots whose ears have been clipped.

In March, animal care officials found a pair of pit bull puppies with cropped ears. One had been shot with BB pellets three or four times.

The puppy now awaiting surgery was found in September.

Funghi said the dog is doing very well considering the circumstances, and the agency plans to adopt the animal out once she is fully rehabilitated.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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