(Photo/Sina Weibo)

It is already a frightening thing to see weapons like traditional arrows in modern cities. It is even more heart-pounding when those arrows pierce a dog’s body, as recently occurred in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Photos of the white dog were first published online on Dec. 6, and soon went viral. According to a Sina Weibo user, the dog was seen standing with an arrow piercing its body on the campus of Yinxing Hospitality Management College of Chengdu University of Information & Technology.

The arrow cut into the dog’s body from its left foreleg through the back of its head. The arrow was about one meter long and had no arrowhead. The dog’s abdomen and leg were stained with blood, Chongqing Morning Post reported. The web user told the newspaper that she had no idea whether it was a stray dog, but the wound appeared to have been deliberately inflicted.

The dog was later rescued by volunteers from the Chengdu-based NGO Center Of Protect Beastie. Initial treatment included removing the arrow, which showed that the dog's vital organs were not wounded. However, the dog immediately fled after the arrow was taken out of its body.

Volunteers are still looking for the dog to provide it with additional treatment. Some have suspected the wound was caused by dog thieves.

In May, another dog was shot in the head with an arrow in Beijing, triggering concern over the identity of the shooter and apparent easy access to such arrows.