The British RSPCA have launched an investigation after 3 men were seen repeatedly throwing a greyhound into the sea in Hartlepool in the north of England on November 2.According to witnesses, the 3 men were walking 9 muzzled greyhounds along a pier when one of the men picked up a dog and threw it into the sea. He then used the dog's leash to drag it back to the pier, before throwing it in again.
Source: Hartlepool Mail
Although the witness only took pictures of one of the dogs, they also said that it looked like they were being "being taken out one by one”. They told the RSPCA:
They were being carried out to the end of the structure and unceremoniously flung in from a height of about 4ft and a distance, through the air, of 6ft [...] The waves were quite strong and my first thought was, once they had surfaced, what if they were propelled by the crashing waves into the rusting sides of the pier?
Source: Hartlepool Mail
Greyhounds, bred to be fast and swift, do not have much body fat and also have very thin skin. This makes them very sensitive to extreme temperatures and need extra care when it is very hot or very cold. This makes the men's behavior all the more worrying as the dogs could have developed serious health complications after their ordeal.“Putting them in the sea at this time of year is potentially life-threatening to this breed,” said Rita James, a spokeswoman for the charity Campaign Against Greyhound Exploitation and Death (CAGED), who added that because their necks are so thin, dragging them back to the pier roughly using a leash could have caused damage too.
Source: Hartlepool Mail
People on the scene called the RSPCA, but the group was gone by the time an inspector arrived. The animal welfare group is currently appealing for information about the men to try and bring them to justice. They said in a press release:
These images are very distressing and we would urge anyone who may have witnessed this, or may have more information which could help an investigation, to contact us on 0300 1234 999.
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