A dog had to be put down after it was shot in the back by an unknown assailant in Scarborough early Sunday morning.

According to police, the dog was let outside its apartment near Raleigh and Moira avenues shortly after midnight and immediately began barking at something behind the building.

The dog’s owner then heard a bang, followed by a whimper from the dog.

When the owner investigated, they found the dog suffering from a gunshot wound to its back and called 911.

The Emergency Task Force was dispatched to the scene and did a sweep of the area, but was unable to locate the suspect.

Police say they do not know what would have motivated someone to shoot the dog.

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