BRIDGEPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A Bridgeport Township man is claiming his family pet was shot after wandering into a neighbor’s yard last month.

The chocolate Labrador retriever named Babe survived the shooting after limping back to her own yard, covered in blood.

Babe is back with her family for the first time since having emergency surgery, and now the neighbor is facing charges.

Babe's owner, John Steele, admits the animal roams freely around his 30-acre property -- sometimes wandering into the neighbor’s yard.

Steele said Babe had apparently walked into the neighbor’s yard, started to defecate on his property and was shot by the man.

Steele claims the neighbor who lives in the subdivision next to the property said Babe tried to attack him, but the Steeles said that just isn't possible.

The wounded dog managed to return to her owner’s house.

According to Steele, his daughters were very frightened after seeing their pet bleeding on their front porch.

“They immediately wanted to know what all the blood was,” said Steele. “They wanted to know if Babe was going to die. They were crying.”

Police were called to the scene and filed a report after interviewing the neighbor and collecting his firearms.

Officers said the round used to wound the animal was not very powerful and was used so that the dog would not die instantly, but bleed out over a long period of time.

The local prosecutor has sent the case back to authorities for further investigation.

“I just want to send a strong message to people like our neighbor, who think they can get away with this,” said Paula Steele. “They are wrong -- there are laws against this -- it's cruelty to animals.”

Steele said Babe should fully recuperate after her surgery.

Bridgeport Township police said they hope to complete their investigation within a week.

Michigan recently passed an animal cruelty law and this case could be the first taken to court under its guise.

Babe’s owner alleges this is not the first time their neighbor has shot a dog on his property, and is distributing a flier to see whether other pets have been shot by the suspect.

Below are photos taken by Steele of the dog and may be graphic in nature:

This picture shows Babe lying on her side with bullet wounds visible.

This image shows the possible path of the bullet.

This final photo shows the Steele girls looking at their blood-spattered deck.