It’s hard to imagine anyone doing something to intentionally harm an animal, but the truth is, it happens far more often than we care to admit.

Sadly, a 7-month-old pup named Ice learned how cruel people can be at a young age. The poor dog was tied to a tree in the woods, shot in the head, and left to die.

Thankfully, some hikers spotted the dog and immediately called Save a Greek Stray for help.

The rescue shared explicit photos of Ice’s wounds on Facebook, explaining that he was “tied up to a tree, in deserted area, where he was shot point blank at the base of his neck.”

If that weren’t bad enough the pellets from the bullet passed through his neck and “destroyed the left side of his face, his mouth and the nasal bone.”

It’s unclear why anyone would do something like that to an animal, but the important thing was Ice was safe now. The rescue was determined to give him his best fighting chance, even the odds of his survival were slim.

After several surgeries, the rescue revealed that Ice somehow pulled through the trauma and was on the road to recovery. He suffered from infections but the medical team was there to treat every issue that arose.

Months after Ice’s rescue, Save a Greek Stray shared an update on Facebook, saying: “In the first 12 months of his life, he was shot, suffered, underwent 4 surgeries and spent 4 months locked in a veterinary cage until his wounds healed. Having won a huge battle, it seems like nothing can touch or hurt him anymore, except rejection.”

“[He] lives, to be loved and breathes, to give joy to those [he] loves. For all of us who have lived next to him, Ice is the living proof of man’s power for the greater evil, but the greater good. As long as there are sick souls, we will be here fighting to win,” they added.

While Ice was ready to be adopted, it was a slow process to find him a family willing to accept his past and love him for his present and future.

Eventually, though, that family stepped up and Ice was placed into a loving home to live out the rest of his life. That was back in 2018-2019, and we can only imagine how great his life has been ever since!