A police officer who shot a small dog in the head, shattering the bones in its face, has been fired after the incident was captured on camera.
In a video posted to social media last week, Faulkner County Sheriff's Office deputy Keenan Wallace is seen confronting Arkansas man Doug Canady in response to a call about a bothersome dog.
Deputy Wallace becomes frustrated with Mr Canady, who filmed the confrontation, after he refuses to meet him by the road outside of his house.
"The dog is aggressive and I'm going to shoot it," Deputy Wallace can be heard saying in the recording.
"Do you want to step to the road?", he adds, before firing a single shot into the dog, named Reeses.
The video shows the dog writhing on the ground, squealing in distress.
The graphic footage has since been shared by almost 50,000 people — prompting the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office to launch an investigation.
"I hold my Deputies to the highest of standards to protect and serve the residents of our community," Sheriff Tim Ryals said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, a deputy fell short of those standards.
"As a result of [this] incident … deputy Keenan Wallace has been relieved of his duties.
"Our Department is [saddened] about this incident and apologise for any distress and disappointment this incident has caused anyone."
Remarkably, Reeses was found alive in a nearby shed, hiding behind a mattress after the ordeal.
A GoFundMe account to cover the pet's emergency treatment has since raised more than $17,000, with surgeries slated to remove bone fragments from the dog's stomach and repair its jaw over the coming days.
And though the pint-sized pooch, who was abandoned by her owners last year, isn't out of the woods just yet, Mr Canady said he would officially adopt her.
