Dead 'fighting' dog with cropped ears dropped off at vets in wheelbarrow

The RSPCA are appealing for information after a dead dog with mutilated ears and fighting injuries was taken into a Dewsbury veterinary practice in a wheelbarrow.

The young bull breed-type dog was brought into the vets last Thursday (April 25) by a man who said he’d found him deceased in a local park.

According to the vet who examined him, the dog had bite marks on his body which were at various stages of healing and consistent with dog fighting. An attempt had also been made to illegally crop his ears, which were badly infected and ‘jagged,’ as if they had been cut with scissors.

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The man is thought to have arrived at the back entrance of the practice with the dog in the wheelbarrow sometime between 3pm and 4pm. He had travelled in a van from a Wharf Close direction and parked in a nearby side street. The registration of the vehicle is unknown. The man then left without leaving his details or further information - which may help with enquiries.

A scan revealed the dog - whose exact breed has not yet been identified - was microchipped and between two and three years old, but the chip was foreign and the details had not been registered.

The RSPCA is keen to speak to a man who may be able to help the investigation and provide more details about the exact location in which the dog was found. He is described as Asian, 5’ 9”, in his early 20s and of slim build. He had a black beard and black/brown shoulder-length curly hair and was wearing a baseball cap, a face mask, dark-coloured jeans and a jacket and ‘muddy’ wellington boots.

RSPCA inspector John Gibson has made enquiries in the local area and is urging homeowners and businesses to check their security cameras and dash cams for information which could help the charity’s investigation.

He said: “This poor dog likely died from a massive infection and untreated wounds. He was in an appalling state and it would have been a really distressing sight for the veterinary staff who were working at the time. We’re appealing to anyone who recognises this dog or has information that could help us to please get in touch.”

Ear cropping - which is illegal in all nations of the UK - is a barbaric procedure in which the outer part of a dogs’ ears are cut or clipped, often using a knife or scissors, or removed completely. Anyone with information about the incident should call 0300 123 8018 quoting reference number 01255528.

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