A dog that was shot in the face twice and buried up to its neck in dirt was found in Florida outside a house and was miraculously rescued.

A county animal services officer arrived to the vacant property in Tampa to rescue the pit bull-cross, only to be greeted by the dog’s sad brown eyes.

One bullet pierced the animal’s forehead and exited through her back, while the other entered under an eye and left through her neck.

The pooch’s head was bloodied and she was dangerously thin, but immediately bonded with her rescuer and was surprisingly friendly.

“This is sick,” said Sgt. Pam Perry, investigations manager at Hillsborough County Animal Services. “If they did this to a dog, they’ll do it to another dog, a cat, a child or a person.”

No shell casings or bullet fragments were discovered at the scene, but it is expected that a small-caliber weapon was used.

According to The Tampa Bay Times, the wounds only damaged soft tissue and Phoebe suffered no brain damage.

The dog that was shot did require four days in the emergency clinic to treat her injuries and the effects of her malnourishment.

The two-year-old weighed just 30 lbs. when she was found, compared to a healthy weight of 50 lbs.

An anonymous caller claimed to have heard three shots shortly before the dog that was shot was discovered on October 29th.

Perry said the suspect responsible for the dog that was shot may have been trying to send a message to animal care officials, who have been rounding up dogs involved in dog fighting lately.

The sheriff’s office also arrested 25 people during an operation on November 9th.

The dog, Phoebe, will be put up for adoption when she has fully recovered.

James Gilbert | Elite.