A man was heartbroken after making a "horrific" discovery in an area of woodland.
Gray Taylor, who works for Wirral Fox Rescue in Hoylake, received a call from a local farm on Sunday to say a dead fox had been discovered on Bidston Hill. However, after arriving in the woodland at around 4pm, Gray said he soon realised the animal was in fact a dead dog, which he has identified as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Photos of the dog, which the ECHO has chosen not to publish, show it with blackened fur and its organs and bones visible. Gray, 37, believes the dog's injuries are consistent with her having been set on fire.
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Gray told the ECHO: "She was far too heavy to be a fox. Obviously from dealing with so many foxes over the years, you don't ever get an overweight or fat fox. The biggest fox I've had is 8kg, whereas this dog weighs 12kg.
"It was absolutely horrific because it's fairly evident what's happened to this animal.
"She was still warm when I picked her up and there was no river there at all so this is definitely something that's happened in the early hours of Sunday or late Saturday night.
"To be honest it's heartbreaking. It's pretty much straight away I knew this dog has really suffered."
Gray has reported the incident to Merseyside Police and to the RSPCA, who described the incident as a "shocking and senseless act of cruelty." Gray is urging anyone with information on the dog or how it came to be injured to come forward and report it.
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This is a shocking and senseless act of cruelty which is so upsetting to hear about and we would urge anyone with first-hand information about what happened to this poor dog to contact us on 0300 1234 999 or Merseyside Police.”
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