Puppy is put down to end its suffering

The charity was alerted to the plight of the one-year-old pocket bully dog on February 1 by police, who were called by a member of the public.

An undercover member of the Scottish SPCA special investigations unit said: “We are unsure how long the dog was left alone at the park for, but she was lucky to have been spotted by a member of the public who knew something wasn’t right.

“The pup, who had cropped ears, also had multiple congenital defects which had a painful and severe impact on her wellbeing.

“The pup was in a huge amount of pain due to bad breeding and unfortunately, after being examined by a vet, the decision to put her to sleep on welfare grounds was made.

“Unscrupulous breeders breed this type of dog for aesthetic purposes. The intensive breeding of these dogs in order to create the barrel-chested, heavily muscled, wide-gaited bully of today has led to them becoming a sought after breed which can be sold for in excess of £10,000.

“To add to the status symbol of these dogs, it is a growing trend in the UK to crop the dogs’ ears. Any surgical procedure carried out for purely aesthetic purposes is illegal.

“It’s a real shame a number of people won’t even realise these animals aren’t supposed to look like this, and don’t understand the amount of pain and suffering they go through for the sake of being made to look a certain way.

“We are keen to track the person responsible for abandoning this poor dog and are urging anyone with information to contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”