Angry owners of a dog rescue centre have described the injuries inflicted on an abandoned collie they found “dumped and left for dead” in a field as “horrific.”
The helpless hound was discovered by a man and his grandson in a remote area in Kentstown, Co Meath on Saturday.
Unable to help the animal to its feet the distraught man made a call to Coolronan Dog Rescue in Ballivor who made their way to the scene.
Rescue workers Ramona Cunningham and Chris Kelly say they arrived to find the dog “severely emaciated, blind and starving to death” weighing a sickening 9.5kg, just a third of the weight she should be.
The animal lovers who have rescued around 100 canines since the beginning of the year admit it was one of the worst cases of cruelty they have ever seen.
Chris said: “We got a phone call from a man who had been walking his dog with his grandson who came across her out in the field. He approached her and tried to get her up but she wasn’t able to stand, we hopped into the car and went straight over.
“We had to walk ten minutes through a bit of a forest and she was out in the middle of a big field.
“She was brought out there and dumped.
“It took us five minutes to find her because the grass was so high, when he found her she eventually put her head up but she couldn’t stand. It was horrific, she had sores on her body, her hair was matted with dirt and she was infested with fleas.
“Ninety-five per cent of it was malnutrition, it was down to pure cruelty, it is just heartbreaking.
“It is absolutely disgusting that anyone could do this to a defenseless animal.
“She was left to die there –she wasn’t meant to be found.
“We took her to the vet and she weighed 9.5kg, she should be 27kg.
“It will be a long road to recovery.” Heartbroken Ramona decided to name the canine Faith because she believes she was meant to find the pitiful pooch.
Chris added: “Ramona named her Faith because where she was it was a miracle that she was found, it was against all odds.”
“We are just so glad that that man came across her when he did and stayed with her until we arrived.
“We stopped outside a shop in Kentstown and got a little tub of dog food and she ate it as though she had never eaten before in her life.
“Ramona got very upset to see a dog in that situation and she just broke down and sobbed.
“We have her in the house with us now and she has made herself at home and she’s getting plenty of TLC.
“I’ll never understand why these dogs don’t hold a grudge against humans.”
