Found in a shockingly horrible state, a dog had to be put to sleep because vets could not find any way to save her. Abandoned in a park and possibly left to die, the dog’s breed could not even be confirmed because her hair was so terribly matted. Vets presume that she may have been a female shih tzu. Additionally, the vets could not even confirm the dog’s age because her mouth couldn’t be opened to check for signs.
It was a woman at the Thirlmere Park who found the dog after hearing two young children say: “I think it is dead.” When the park walker inspected the area, she thought she was looking at a pile of rags at first.
“I just saw two young children saying ‘I think it is dead’ which drew my attention to something but I had no idea it was a dog as it looked like a pile of rags,” the woman said. “I wrapped her in a blanket and tried to give her some water – she was breathing but not moving. I called the vets and they told me to take her straight in.”
Dumped in the park, the dog seemed so unwell that the woman said, “I actually thought she had passed away in my car on the way.” “I was so upset and shaking,” the woman went on to say. “I still feel sick and tearful thinking about this poor dog – it was horrific. I really hope someone knows who is responsible.”
Lisa Lupson, who works for the non-profit called RSPCA that advocates animal welfare, said that this was one of the worst cases of matting she has ever seen. “This dog has clearly endured years of suffering and I have never seen such a terrible case of matting in my time as an RSPCA inspector,” Lupson said. “Sadly the photograph speaks a thousand words and the dog even looks as though it has more than four legs but it is matted fur which has grown into long and heavy pieces.”
Talking about the condition of the dog’s fur, Lupson said: “There were maggots crawling on the fur which could have been from a wound underneath the mats or from all the faeces which had built up in her coat over a prolonged period. She was in an absolutely horrific state and I have found it terribly upsetting to deal with this case.” With no other way out, the vets put her down because they found no other way to put an end to her misery. Lupson hopes that whoever left the dog in such a condition would be caught.
“I am now hoping someone will know the person who owned this dog and allowed her to suffer so terribly before callously dumping her to die a lingering death,” Lupson said. “I am just so grateful to the person who found her and took her to the vets and was able to give her some comfort before she passed away.”
Image source – UK Animal Cruelty Files
