Starved dog dumped in Tottenham park is 'worst case' of its kind (From This Is Local London)

Starved dog dumped in Tottenham park is 'worst case' of its kind

3:05pm Tuesday 15th December 2009 in Where I Live By Elizabeth Pears

AN EMACIATED puppy was left dumped in a Tottenham park by its heartless owner in what one RSPCA officer called "the worst case" of neglect he had ever seen.

The female Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross-breed, no more than a year old, had been left abandoned in the shrubbery, too weak to even lift her head or let out a whimper.

She was found in Downhills Park on Saturday evening by a horrified member of the public who had been walking her own pets.

At first the resident was not even sure of what she was looking at as the dog's body weight had plummeted to 10.2kg — less than half of what it should have been — and her abdomen measured a meagre 30cm.

The dog was also suffering from hypothermia and anaemia. Marks on its body suggested it had previously been left in a restricted space.

The shocked resident immediately phoned the RSPCA before returning home with the dehydrated animal and wrapping it in blankets to keep its frail body warm.

RSPCA officers then took the helpless dog to the Harmsworth Animal Hospital, in Holloway, but its organs had started to fail and vets had no choice but to put her down.

Inspector Dale Grant, of the RSPCA, said it was the worst example of a starved animal he had seen in his career.

And said that all the evidence pointed to it being dumped on purpose.

He said: "This dog was so weak and cold it could not even get up off the floor. There are no two ways about it, this dog was literally starving to death.

"There is absolutely no excuse for letting a dog get into this state. Somebody, somewhere must have seen something. It is important that the person responsible for this, is held accountable.

"It is certainly the worst case of starvation I have ever seen and the vet wasn't in tears but she was visibly moved.

"It was nothing short of heartbreaking".

Mr Grant added that dogs were often dumped if owners felt they were no longer able to afford to feed them, if they had found themselves homeless and, in the worst cases, when owners simply were no longer bothered.

"It is often a matter of just a phonecall to an animal charity to say they are struggling in order to avoid something like this", the officer said.

The RSPCA has now launched an appeal and have released harrowing images of the puppy's condition in a desperate bid to urge those with information to come forward.

Anyone with information that could lead to the identification of the dog's owner is urged to call the RSPCA's 24-hour cruelty line on 0300 1234 999