A stray dog has been given a second shot at life and an appropriate new name after it was found in rural Saskatchewan with an arrow pierced straight through its body.

An animal rescue group has dubbed the dog Arrow, and they say her survival story is nothing short of extraordinary.

The adult husky-shepherd cross was discovered last Sunday after it showed up on a woman’s doorstep on the outskirts of Regina, with an arrow sticking through its back.

The woman quickly sent a photo of the injured dog to CC RezQs, the local animal rescue organization, and they rushed over to help.

“On our way out there we had a lot of emotions. There’s anger, there’s sadness, there’s disbelief. Honestly the only thought we had was that we were hoping this dog was alive,” CC RezQs co-founder Cady Shaw told CTV News.

Little is known about the dog’s past, but it’s believed the animal had been living with the arrow in its back for at least three days.

Despite the horrific injury, the dog is expected to make a full recovery. According to a veterinarian, the arrow bounced off of a vertebrae and pierced soft tissue. If the arrow had been going a little faster or had come from another angle, the results could’ve been dire.

“If there was enough velocity behind the arrow, it could’ve paralyzed the dog,” said veterinarian Gerad Cantin.

The brown-eyed dog, later named Arrow, is expected to recover from the injury over the next several weeks. She wears a cone around her neck and the fur where the arrow pierced has been shaved to the skin.

Arrow is now living at a foster home while the animal rescue group finds her a permanent new home.

The incident has been reported to the RCMP and the animal protection service of Saskatchewan is investigating.

With a report from CTV's Jill Macyshon.