Hunt for 'despicable' owner who left severely malnourished dog to die in bin
ANIMAL welfare officers are hunting for a cruel owner who dumped a severely malnourished dog in a bin.
A cruel owner left a severely malnourished dog to die in a bin
The Scottish SPCA, who called the act "unthinkably cruel" said the animal was also dehydrated and unable to stand.
The male pointer crossbreed was immediately taken to a vet who decided to put it to sleep.
A member of the public found the dog in a rubbish bin in Dundonald Street.
Chief inspector John Carle, of SPCA, said: "The dog was estimated to be between 10 and 12 years old so we have to consider that he may have been abandoned due to his age, which is unthinkably cruel.
The dog was found in a bin by a local putting out rubbish
This poor dog would have been absolutely terrified and was suffering a great deal
"This poor dog would have been absolutely terrified and was suffering a great deal when he was found."
The dog, which had a black bag wrapped around it, was discovered on the morning of 15 April at the bottom of a large metal bin.
Mr Carle said: "We think it's possible he was put into the bin late on Thursday night or in the early hours of Friday morning when it was dark.
"He was wearing a black nylon collar and had a black bag wrapped around his body from his waist down, but we don't know if he was fully inside the bag when he was dumped."
The dog was found among rubbish in a bin
Abandoning an animal and causing unnecessary suffering are offences under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
Mr Carle said: "We are currently checking whether there is any CCTV nearby and we are appealing to anyone with information about this despicable act to help us with our investigation.
"If anyone knows of a person in the local area who recently owned a dog matching this description we would urge them to contact us."