This bulldog ended up resembling a pincushion after tangling with an angry porcupine.
Unlucky Ella Mae got a face full of quills after getting to close to the animal as it drank water from a pond in her owner's garden.
The pooch was rushed to the Animal Emergency Centre in Norman, Oaklahoma, where emergency surgery was carried out to remove most of the 500 quills had been plunged into her skin.
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Ouch: Ella Mae the bulldog was speared with 500 porcupine quills
Vet Dr Leonardo Baez and two nurses took two hours to remove all of the needle-sharp quills from Bella Mae's face, body and paws.
Her owner, Allison Noles, told KSDK.com: "It was devastating. You know these, these animals are our kids and when you see them hurt you can't imagine the pain, the intense pain she had been in. It's heart breaking.
"It affected the entire family."
Several rogue quills remain in her body and there is still a risk of infection, but Ella Mae is on antibiotics and is back home recovering from the attack.