LAUREL, Miss. (AP) — A dog in Mississippi is recovering after rescuers removed an arrow from a muscle in the top of his head.

The Jones County Sheriff’s Department says the dog’s owner, 26-year-old Shawn Nichols of Laurel, is charged with aggravated animal cruelty, which is a misdemeanor. It was not immediately clear whether Nichols has an attorney.

The department says Nichols told investigators the dog broke off his chain and couldn’t be caught, so Nichols shot him with a crossbow. The statement says Nichols told deputies he thought the arrow would kill the dog and he didn’t mean for the animal to suffer.

WDAM-TV reports that workers at Southern Cross Animal Rescue named the dog Monk to honor the deputy who initially helped him Sunday. Monk is now living with a foster family.