Thugs mutilate family pet and leave it to die in ‘horrendous’ attack

A FAMILY pet which was saved from drowning was butchered with an axe or a grinder by thugs who then threw the dog up on a pillar outside a housing estate and left it to die.

An illegible message was then scrawled on a wall using the dog’s blood.

It’s the worst case of abuse ever seen by long-serving Waterford Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals boss, Andrew Quinn. He said whoever butchered the five to seven year-old wire-haired terrier is “pure evil” and must be tracked down.

The family which owns the animal are distraught and can’t understand how anyone would inflict such torture on their pet, Mr Quinn said. He said they were alerted by a passer-by who spotted the animal at the lower end of Gracedieu Heights in the city.

“This pet was laid on top of the entrance pillar to Gracedie Heights within 20 feet of a bus stop where children were gathering at a bus stop to go to school. They could not have missed it. Another member of the public removed the animal from the pillar, put it in a bag and disposed of it,” he said.

The WSPCA found the animal and brought it to the vet. “The scene was absolutely horrendous. It looks like an axe or a grinder was used on the dog. Five attempts were made to kill the dog, the vets report shows,” he added.

Mr Quinn said he’s been involved in animal welfare for at least ten years and has seen nothing like it. “I have seen cruelty in all forms. But this is the worst single act of cruelty I have ever seen.”

The vet’s report shows the dog’s skull was fractured. It shows that the wounds were caused deliberately and maliciously and are unlike any wounds he has seen caused by a road traffic accident or a dog fight.

Mr Quinn said he’s finding it exceptionally difficult to cope with the case, even with his experience. “To display this poor animal on top of a pillar and make an attempt to etch some sort of a message, which was totally illegible, in blood with their fingers is evil.

“There are no traces of anything which might indicate a car accident. It’s just pure evil. The people who did this are a danger to society, never mind to animals. Where is this going to stop? If they do that to an innocent loving animal, what are they capable of?”

The family which owned the pet have asked to remain anonymous but have joined the WSPCA in the appeal to anyone who knows anything about the brutal attack to contact the authorities.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the WSPCA on [phone].