A young Walker County man is under arrest after the fatal shooting of a pregnant dog with a crossbow.

Charles Wayne Gresham, 19, is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

Gresham was taken into custody Thursday. A judge on Friday set his bond at $25,000 cash.

Walker County Sheriff’s Office animal abuse Investigator Jimmie Vann said the incident happened Wednesday.

A passerby found the dog was found on Quinton Road, with the arrow still protruding from her. The woman picked up the injured dog and took her to a veterinarian’s office.

Vann said he went to the vet’s office and looked at the X-ray. The arrow had entered the dog from the dog’s buttocks area and traveled to the abdomen.

The veterinarian performed a Cesarean section on the dog, but the mother and the unborn puppies did not survive.

Vann went back to Quinton Road to investigate and was able to find a home where he believed the dog lived. No one was home at the time, so he went next door, where he encountered Gresham.

“He said, ‘I guess you’re here about the dog. I shot it. It was growling at my nephew,’’’ Vann said.

The warrant against Gresham was obtained on Thursday.

“We take all crimes very seriously, but animal crimes are even more ridiculous than a lot of other ones,’’ Sheriff Nick Smith said. “We will not tolerate animal abuse of any kind, and if we catch you, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”