Co Tyrone rescuers' horror at finding dog's body in river tied down with weights

Rescuers in Co Tyrone have shared their horror after finding a dog's body in a river tied down with weights.

On Saturday, April 20, the Tyrone Underwater Search and Recovery team were on patrol on the Blackwater River at Moy Bridge, when they were flagged down by local fisherman who saw something suspicious in the water.

Two of the team's divers found a dog had been "anchored down" with weights. The incident was reported to the PSNI who recovered the dog from the river.

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A spokesperson for the Tyrone Underwater Search and Recovery team said: "As you can imagine any life lost is deeply upsetting and as fellow dog owners amongst the team, this one hurts just as a much as every other life.

"Thank you to the fishermen that highlighted this to us - it has been reported to the PSNI who with a speedy call to action have been able to recover the little dog. Thank you for your services.

"Let’s make this world a little less cruel."

Police said they are investigating following the report that a dog was discovered in a river in the Armagh Road area of Moy.

Sergeant Stewart said: “Officers received a report that the dog was found weighted down in the water shortly after 3.45pm on Saturday, April 20th.

“The dog was removed from the water and has been taken to a vet. A post-mortem will be carried out in due course. We are engaging with the local animal welfare officers in the council.

“Our enquiries are underway and anyone who noticed anything suspicious is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1075 of 20/04/24.

"You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/."

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