Dog rescued from whip attack: RSPCA appeal

The horrific act of cruelty was witnessed by passers-by in Queens Park on Sunday, March 23rd.

Fortunately, one man managed to grab the six-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier named Roxi and move her to safety.

Now, the RSPCA wants the public’s help in tracing the two men responsible for the sickening assault while also tracking down her owner.

Both men are described as being white Eastern Europeans, around 5ft. 11in. tall and aged in their mid-20s. One of the men, who was doing the whipping with a chain link lead, had cropped hair, shaved at the side and was wearing blue jeans, a black hoodie and white trainers. The other man had long scruffy hair.

Insp. Kat Hamblin, of the RSPCA, condemned the deplorable actions of the men and urged anybody who had any more information on the offence to come forward.

She said: “It is just horrendous. It is a crime and it is something that should not happen. Unfortunately though there are a lot of instances of animal cruelty across Lancashire.”

Roxi suffered no serious injuries as a result of the assault but was left shaken.

“She had a small cut on her nose and abrasions on her hind legs although we can not be sure if these were caused during the incident. If it had carried on though she could easily have suffered serious internal injuries.

“She was very nervous and was shaking a lot when we collected her. She’s a bit better now but she’s still nervous. She is slowly becoming more trusting of humans though.

“We don’t know who she belongs to. She is microchipped and we’ve made all the relevant inquiries but unfortunately we’ve not been able to track down her last owner. She’s white and has a distinctive black and brown patch over her right eye.”

Insp. Hamblin urged anybody who witnesses any type of cruelty involving an animal to ring the RSPCA cruelty line immediately.

“If somebody is struggling with their dog then I would recommend they look into getting him or her trained. Also, it is important to research the type of dog you are buying and make sure it is something you are going to be able to handle.

“If anybody has any information on this particular incident or any other incident then they can contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.”