Two stray dogs were rescued after being shot with harpoons in Thailand.

Animal handlers found the brown male dog Daeng, 3, and the senior female dog Hoi, 10, injured by the sharp projectiles in a neighbourhood in Ratchaburi province on April 11.

Daeng had been shot in his left hind leg, while Hoi was pierced through her right hip, with the spear emerging near her genitals.

Luckily, the 12-inch harpoons had missed their vital organs, allowing volunteers to safely dislodge them.

Rescue worker Weerawat Onchon from the Ruamjai Charity Foundation said the harpoons looked like fishing darts.

He said: 'There are usually strings attached to the back of fishing darts, but in this case, they had been cut off. I think they were intentionally used to shoot the dogs.

'I hope no one does something like this again. It's extremely cruel. Animals have feelings too.'

Napassawan Ditsayakansakul, a resident familiar with the dogs, said Daeng was a stray roaming the neighbourhood. The pooch had taken a liking to her, and would sleep under her nephew's cars every day while she fed him regularly.

She said: 'I don't know why the dogs were shot. I was in another province when it happened. They may have been wandering near the temple to find something to eat.

'These dogs have never disturbed us, but they might have been aggressive to strangers passing by the area.'

Hoi and Dang are still recovering from their injuries. Volunteers are making daily visits to the neighbourhood to monitor them and apply disinfectant on their wounds.