Dog abandoned and nearly strangled on Christmas Eve

07.01.12

A dog was abandoned on Christmas Eve and tied so tightly to a farm gate that his eyes were bloodshot.

The male Staffordshire bull terrier, named Patch because of distinctive markings over his left eye, was found by the entrance of a farm in Grove Lane, Retford, Nottinghamshire, on the evening of Monday, 24 December 2012.

He had sores behind his front legs where he had struggled to free himself from the lead which was so short that he was suffering from the early signs of strangulation.

Luckily for Patch, the owner of the farm spotted him and rang us.

RSPCA Inspector Fran Whitten said:

The poor thing had been in a lot of pain and had clearly had quite a struggle to survive this ordeal.

His eyes were completely red – I have never seen anything like it – there was hardly any white to be seen at all. The injuries on his legs were clearly made from attempts to save himself from being strangled.

He was actually pretty lucky to be found when he was. He was tied up in such a rural place where hardly anyone passes – and at a time of year when there are even less people out and about than normal.

But apart from the injuries he was in good condition – muscular, a good weight and well-cared for. Plus he’s a lovely little thing – really friendly and affectionate as well as obedient and generally well behaved.

Who knows what the reasons were behind this lovely animal being abandoned in this way – but we would be keen to hear from anyone with any information.

As well as the distinctive markings on Patch’s face, he is easily identifiable because he also has a retained testicle.

Can you help?

If you have any information about who owns Patch please call us on 0300 123 8181 and quote reference 1424 of the 24/12/2012. All calls will be treated in confidence.

To read more about the type of case we deal with visit our animal cruelty stories page

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