A DOG that was found roaming around the Templar’s Hall estate at the weekend in a starved, manged and abused state had to be to put to sleep.
The ISPCA in Waterford have described it as one of the most “horrendous” cases they’ve ever had to deal with due to the condition of the animal which they recovered on Friday night.
The totally emaciated and abused dog was cowering behind a wheelie bin when the group arrived at the estate and was, in fact, so neglected that they couldn’t even tell its breed. The male dog had little or no fur on its body and had puncture wounds all over its skin, indicating it was savaged by another animal as it perished.
“It was one of the worst cases of neglect and abuse that we’ve ever witnessed,” said Andrew Quinn, welfare officer with the Waterford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
“The vet couldn’t even find a pulse for this poor little dog when we brought it in, though the animal was still alive. It was starved, manged and attacked.”
“This abuse did not happen over a few days. It was left to suffer. If the person who owned this animal had just given us a call, we would have come and rescued the pet. There is absolutely no need for an animal to be left to suffer,” he said.
The disturbing sight was uncovered by the voluntary officer on Friday evening last. Andrew Quinn said it was quite possible that the dog might have just wandered into the estate, anxious to find somewhere quiet to lay down and die.
“The laws in this country are so weak. We had another horrific case a while back which involved a dog being ground to death. He was put through a grinder and killed.” “ Even if we did find someone who owned this dog, we would need someone who would stand up in court and say exactly what happened before someone could be prosecuted,” he said, adding that anyone who has, or knows of an animal that is in need of rescue, should contact the Waterford group on (051) 841432.
