A dog was found dead in a reservoir in Greater Manchester – the RSPCA said the Staffordshire Bull Terrier suffered a ‘blunt force trauma to the head and a prolapsed eye’
Officials say the death of a dog found in a beauty spot with horrific injuries is suspicious.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was found in Jumbles Reservoir in Bolton at the end of last month, sparking a probe by the RSPCA. The charity said the dog, a young female, was found in a reservoir with a “blunt force trauma to the head and a prolapsed eye”.
The RSPCA also said there were “suspicious circumstances” and it was looking into the incident. RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Lee Ferrans, who is involved in the probe, said: “Unfortunately this poor dog wasn’t microchipped so we haven’t been able to gather any further information that way. She’d suffered what looks like blunt force trauma to the head area, as one eye was prolapsed, but there was no sign of scuffing on her nails which could have pointed to a possible road traffic accident.”
Heartbreakingly, a passerby spotted the dog and retrieved it from the water and Ferrans believed the dog was “dumped”. Further details of the pooch’s death were not possible to obtain due to how much the body had decomposed in the water.
A spokesperson said: “The young female dog was retrieved from the water by a passerby and taken to a local veterinary practice. She had signs of blunt force trauma to the head and a prolapsed eye.
“It’s believed she had been in the reservoir for no more than two days, but it’s not known whether she was alive or dead at the time prior to being found on 29 November.
“Concerned by her condition, the RSPCA was contacted by the vet and an officer collected the dog’s body, which was taken to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. A more detailed examination wasn’t possible because of the level of decomposition, but due to the injuries her death appears suspicious.”
Mr Ferrans added: “We’d like to thank the kind member of the public for taking the action they did as this would have been an incredibly upsetting sight to come across. For the owners to seemingly dump their pet’s body in this way is appalling.
“We’d appeal to anyone who was in the area at that time and saw suspicious activity or has information that could help our investigation, to get in touch,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 01400488.
