Horrible CCTV footage shows the moment a dog was tied to a tree and left abandoned by its owner in Dublin.
The video, released by Dogs Trust, shows the bewildered Jack Russell Terrier being tied to a tree in Finglas, Dublin, before the owner walks away.
'Pudsey' the terrier then tries to follow the man as he disappears around the corner.
The CCTV footage was taken outside the animal charity's re-homing centre in Finglas.
Pudsey was rescued by volunteers who found the animal suffering with severe dental disease and alopecia.
The terrier also had red marks on his forelegs from licking at them.
Karla Dunne, head of operations, said: "A staff member spotted a small dog tied to a tree, just outside the gates to our Rehoming Centre.
“The man could have brought him into our centre where there were staff there to attend to him immediately, but instead he chose to abandon him, frightened and confused beside a very busy main road until someone spotted him.
“When our veterinary team examined the dog, they found he had severe dental disease, alopecia and red marks on his forelegs from licking at them which we think may be behaviorally linked as x-rays on the areas showed no abnormalities.
“Due to the dental disease, poor Pudsey had to have four teeth extracted but thankfully this won’t affect his ability to eat and the little fella is recovering well from his ordeal.”
Almost 2,000 people across the country have contacted Dogs Trust to give up their dogs from January to October this year.
To raise awareness about the commitment and responsibility that comes with adopting a dog, the charity has launched its 'A Dog is for Life' campaign.
Becky Bristow, executive director at Dogs Trust, said: “Dogs Trust coined the phrase A Dog Is For Life, Not Just For Christmas over 40 years ago and we are still urging people to think carefully about the type of dog they want in terms of behavior not just looks and to be extremely selective about whom and where they source it from.
“It is vital that people undertake as much research as possible to ensure they obtain a healthy, responsibly bred dog and to avoid impulse buying at the ‘click of a mouse’.”
