The “upsetting” and “distressing” discovery of a headless dog in an East Yorkshire ditch has prompted an investigation by the RSPCA.
The animal welfare charity says the brown terrier or Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog is “thought to have been deliberately decapitated” and was found dumped last Saturday (May 10) by a member of the public in a rural area near Broomfleet at the junction of Common Road and Wallingfen Lane.
The decomposing remains were wrapped in a black plastic bag and left in shallow water. The RSPCA says the dog’s head “appeared to have been cleanly cut off and skin around the shoulder area was also missing, possibly in an attempt to remove the microchip”.
The dog is described as medium in size with a long tail and had a small white patch of fur on his chest. It has not been possible to establish a cause of death.
RSPCA inspector Natalie Hill said: “It must have been so upsetting to find a dog’s body in these distressing circumstances and we’re very grateful to the member of the public for reporting the incident.
“We think the head had been deliberately removed because of the clean nature of the cut and the fact the body was inside a bag meant it would have been less likely to have been predated by other wildlife. The missing skin around the shoulder area could indicate that an attempt had also been made by someone to deliberately remove the microchip.
“There were no obvious signs of other injuries but we’re extremely concerned about how and why this poor dog was found like this and we’d appeal to anyone who has first-hand information about this incident to get in touch.”
Anyone with information which could help the RSPCA’s investigation is urged to contact the charity’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident number 01516137.