An owner has been left devastated after his beloved pet dog tragically passed away after being "stabbed" in Gateshead.
Kyle Mason, 28, said his dog, Robbie, who was around three or four years old, got out and found his way into a back alley near his home in Bensham on May 5. But when Kyle found him, he was horrified to discover he was covered in blood.
He immediately called the vets and got an emergency appointment at a nearby PDSA hospital where they treated two large gashes on his body. Kyle was due to return to the vets with Robbie the following morning but tragically his beloved pet passed away during the night.
The sudden loss of Robbie has left Kyle heartbroken who said the "loving dog" helped him with his autism and mental health issues. Kyle said: "Robbie got out and went out the back alley and when he came back he was covered in blood. I just started panicking because I'm autistic so I was just panicking really bad. I just didn't know what had happened.
"I had to get an emergency appointment and I took him to the vets. We got back and he was supposed to go back to the vets in the morning but he passed away during the night.
"This has really hit me. I'm having nightmares, I wake up thinking I've been stabbed and keep having to check I haven't been stabbed when I wake up.
"Robbie was a great support for me, he helped a lot with my autism. He was always there when I was crying or emotional, he was such a loving dog. He was just fantastic, I miss him so much."
Kyle reported the incident to Northumbria Police and the RSPCA but no charges have been brought against anyone yet. He said RSPCA officers came to see Robbie and confirmed it looked like he had been stabbed.
He said Robbie was "an innocent dog" and said the incident has caused him "a great deal of stress". Kyle said: "There seems to be a lot of animal cruelty happening at the moment and it's just disgraceful. Robbie was just an innocent dog, no animal deserves this. I just wanted to raise awareness.
"I rescued him after I saw him being advertised as dog bait and now this has happened. I've just lost my older dog in 2020 who I had since I was a young child and now Robbie has died so it's a short time between them. I'm autistic and have mental health issues so this had caused me a great deal of stress."
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "On May 5 we were made aware of a dog that had been attacked in the Saltwell Road area of Gateshead. A full investigation has since been carried out into the incident, but there has so far been insufficient evidence to seek a criminal prosecution.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting crime number 054150A/22."
An RSPCA spokesperson said: "We were called to a property in Bensham and sadly found the dog had died from his injuries. Anyone with information about how the dog became injured should call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999, or contact Northumbria Police."
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