He may have only been using a pellet or bb gun to shoot the dog to begin with, I can't remember if the article says. But, I've heard of dogs being shot a couple of times and living....I guess it depends on where the dog was shot, too. And, as for the scalp, it doesn't surprise me at all that it was intact. My dog only weighs 30 pounds and can almost swallow a chicken leg quarter whole. You have to give them something about the size of their head in order for them to actually chew it, unless they're a delicate or slow eater. If not, it just goes straight down their throat, and, digestion doesn't start in the mouth like it does for us. It starts in the stomach. So, it makes sense that if they got to the dog before the scalp was digested at all, that they could save and reattach it. I wonder how the little girl is doing now. And, what, if anything, will happen to the mother.