A puppy required reconstructive surgery after being shot in the face during an Invercargill home invasion on the weekend.

Two men dressed in camouflage and armed with a .22-calibre rifle entered the unlocked Woodhouse Street house about 10pm on Saturday and demanded drugs from a man living there, police said.

The man locked himself in a bedroom before a number of shots were fired, with one hitting the puppy, Detective Sergeant Dave Nelson said.

The puppy underwent surgery to remove the bullet from its jaw, before reconstruction on its nose.

Mr Nelson said police were still hunting the offenders and anyone with information should contact police.

- NZPA