Cruel owners killed their dog by tying her up and throwing her in a river after they found out she had a huge tumour

AUTHORITIES are hunting for a sick dog owner who tied up their pooch and threw her into a river to drown after finding out she was ill.

The dead Staffordshire bull terrier was discovered by a walker near Hellesdon Bridge near Norwich and a post-mortem examination found that the dog was suffering from a huge tumour.

The vet also confirmed that the Staffie had likely died of drowning and had overgrown claws – a sign it was not being well looked after by its disgraceful owner.

The RSPCA, who released the information on Friday, said the swinging tumour was also benign meaning it could have been removed quite safely by a vet and been able to live a normal life.

It is thought the owners tied the dog up with a green Regatta jacket and put her in a blue trolley bag before dumping her in the River Wensum after finding out about the tumour.

It is thought the innocent pooch was around five-years-old and had its paws tied together by its owner using the sleeves of the jacket.

The dog, thought to be about five, was swaddled in a dark green Regatta jacket and was tied up by the sleeves.

RSPCA Inspector Laura Sayer said: “This is an extremely distressing discovery and I am very anxious to find out who is responsible.

“The poor Staffie is thought to be only around five years old. She’s a light or cream colour with a distinctive dark brown/black patch over her face and ears.

“She also had an enormous swinging tumour on the left side of her belly. She was also suffering overgrown claws and a number of other medical issues.”

She added: “I suspect these may have been the reason the owner decided to dump her – but to do so in such a barbaric way is just unthinkable.

“I am appalled. To make things worse the vet said the tumour was benign and could have

most likely been treated and removed.

“The poor dog could have gone on to live a relatively happy life had she been taken to a vet.”

Inspector Sayer said she was determined to catch the cold-blooded killer, she said: “I’m appealing to anybody with any information about this dog and her owners, no matter how small, to come forward and contact me.

“They can call our inspector’s appeal line in complete confidence on 0300 123 8018 and leave me a message.”

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