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‘It was extreme:’ Florida woman charged with shooting dog in head with crossbow

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida woman has been arrested for felony animal cruelty for allegedly shooting a dog in the head with a crossbow bolt on May 16 after the animal urinated on her car tire.

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Carey Wilson, 37, was arrested Wednesday.

“My goal was not to hit the dog directly,” Wilson told WJAX. “I was trying to scare it off.”

Nassau County animal control officers said the yellow Labrador -- they named Unicorn -- is doing much better.

He has been treated for heartworms and they said they’ll take applications for adoption once he clears certain medical hurdles.

Officers said the bolt ricocheted off Unicorn’s skull but only went through the skin, meaning he was incredibly lucky.

Wilson contends the dog was repeatedly in her fenced-in yard killing animals, even lunging toward her daughter who has mobility issues.

“The dog doesn’t want to leave, so I grabbed a crossbow, my intentions were not to kill the dog, but to try to get the message across, ‘Get out the yard,'” Wilson said.

Animal control said the story doesn’t add up, saying it has received zero calls from her or from her address.

“My close people know who I am, they know the truth,” Wilson said.

The report indicates she told an officer she was tired of lying and admitted to shooting the dog with a crossbow. It states the weapon was brought from Jacksonville, which animal control officers said speaks of premeditation.

"The dog was in the yard peeing on her car tire," and "was not being aggressive," investigators wrote in their report.

Unicorn’s former owner said he surrendered the dog to animal control because he couldn’t afford the medical bills after this.

“It’s rough,” Nick Sweat said. “We enjoyed the dog. He’s a good dog, he’s a family dog, wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

Wilson also told WJAX she took things too far.

“It was extreme,” Wilson said. “I wish there was a different outcome.”