Sadistic killing of Lurchers

[Pie Eater]

Horrible pictute and story on page 19 of the Daily Mirror (New Years Day) of 2 young lurcher dogs hanging by rope either side of a canal bridge at Congerstone, Leicester.

 

Lets hope that publicity will help to catch the culprits.

 

Steve

[Josher]

As this thread has started, the full story is below (the mercury decided not to publish the photograph - I agree with them).

 

Outrage as two dogs found hanging from the Fairfield bridge near Bosworth Road, in Congerstone, Leicestershire Mercury

 

Two dogs have been found hanging by the neck from a bridge over the Ashby Canal, in Leicestershire. The lurcher-type dogs were discovered hanging from a rope either side of the Fairfield bridge near Bosworth Road, in Congerstone, in the west of the county. They were found by a woman when she tried to drive across the bridge on Thursday morning and found her way blocked by a taut rope. As she got out of her vehicle, she made the grim discovery of the animals dangling over the water. An RSPCA inspector described it as one of the most shocking things she had ever seen.

Villagers also reacted with horror at the discovery. The Leicester Mercury has decided not to publish a photograph of the dead dogs because the image is so shocking. Leicestershire police responded to the initial call and the RSPCA is investigating the incident. RSPCA inspector Sheona Morley said: "It must have been absolutely awful for the lady who discovered them. She was driving along the road but found her path blocked by the rope across the carriageway. "When she got out to have a closer look, she was disgusted to see the bodies of the dogs. "There is absolutely no excuse to treat any animal in such a barbaric way." The dogs were aged between 12 and 18 months, one male and the other female. They were both wearing leather collars, but did not have any identification tags and were not micro-chipped. The bodies were taken to a vet for a post-mortem examination to determine whether they were already dead when they were hanged from the bridge. Andrew Wright, chairman of Shackerstone Parish Council, which includes Congerstone, said: "How awful, it's hard to know what to say other than to share people's revulsion. It's shocking and it's not just cruel, it's odd. I hope the RSPCA find whoever is responsible." Parish councillor Mike Foley, who lives in the village, said: "It's just shocking, it's vile, it's absolutely awful. What can you say about the mentality of people who could do such a thing." Hinckley and Bosworth borough councillor Kevin Morrell, who farms nearby, said: "This is absolutely awful. I find it unbelievable that people could do this sort of thing to animals. We will have to wait for the post-mortem to discover if the dogs were dead before they were hung. "Children could have discovered this, which would have been absolutely horrific. As a dog lover, I am absolutely horrified and disgusted. "Anything other than caring for animals' welfare is absolutely abhorrent to me. This was an absolutely horrific act. What kind of mentality can the person who did it have?"

 

Anyone with any information about the dogs is asked to contact either Leicestershire police on 0116 222 2222, or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

[Speedwheel]

Greyhounds? - victims of the dog tracks possibly?

[carlt]

Greyhounds? - victims of the dog tracks possibly?

Tommy, my lurcher, was found hanging from a tree, though just alive (obviously).

 

He was left behind when gypsies moved site, near Woburn.

 

No clue as to why, just badly beaten and strung up.

[Dawnie]

If he spent the rest of his life with you, then it was (or is still) a happy one

[Nightwatch]

Is there a need for such detailed description?

 

 

Martyn

edited as I have just seen the other thread running. Carlt the OP edition I was referring to. I suppose it doesn't matter really.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Nightwatch

[carlt]

If he spent the rest of his life with you, then it was (or is still) a happy one

...though not without incident.

 

He is 15 now (I think) and, as I took him to the vet's, on what I thought was a one way trip for him, last winter, the fact that he is still here and still happy was our best xmas present, this year.

 

Is there a need for such detailed description?

Mine or the news story's?

 

I'm not sure either is that detailed.

[Dawnie]

...though not without incident.

 

He is 15 now (I think) and, as I took him to the vet's, on what I thought was a one way trip for him, last winter, the fact that he is still here and still happy was our best xmas present, this year.

 

I know that feeling well! Dogs never fail to surprise me

[Speedwheel]

Tommy, my lurcher, was found hanging from a tree, though just alive (obviously).

 

I do find impossible to comprehend the mentality of such people. It is bad enough to abandon a dog, when there are many rehoming places through out the country that will take in a dog no questions asked, but at least if it is abandoned there is hope for the animal that someone will find it do the right thing by it. But to beat and hang an animal for no apparent reason is just sick. If you want/need to kill it, though I cannot personally think of a reason why you would other than in a situation where it is on the animals best interest, then there are 'ways' to do it that are quick and humane.

[DeanS]

We live in a world where good and evil both exist.

One of my sincerest hopes, is that I've done right by my kids, and they remain kind to animals all their life.

 

Some are taught to be evil at a young age, and grow up to fill the prisons.

Perhaps if there were more bans on what kids are exposed to, it might help. Not saying this was the work of kids, but I'm sure you get the gist of it...

 

Movies like SAW for instance...dont make the world a better place.

 

[Hairy-Neil]

...though not without incident.

 

He is 15 now (I think) and, as I took him to the vet's, on what I thought was a one way trip for him, last winter, the fact that he is still here and still happy was our best xmas present, this year.

 

I know that feeling well! Dogs never fail to surprise me

 

In the cold snap, a friend reported his elderly dog was off his feet and wasn't looking good and that he'd probably be digging a hole for it once the ground thawed. Well, the ground has thawed and the dog is looking a whole lot better...

[Speedwheel]

Perhaps if there were more bans on what kids are exposed to, it might help.

 

Is censorship really a good thing? Pretending things like this don't happen is surely not the way to prevent it happening again.

Edited January 1, 2011 by Speedwheel

[DeanS]

Is censorship really a good thing? Pretending things like this don't happen is surely not the way to prevent it happening again.

 

 

It is a difficult subject.

On one hand a minority of people should not be banned from watching particular movies, and growing up mentally unstable (as an example).

BUT

common sense should tell us that movies like SAW, aren't good for any society.

BUT

we dont live in times of common sense. We live in times of minority rights over-ruling the majority of societies common sense.

BUT

I understand there is always an argument for and against, which is why evil will always find a way to remain amongst us.

[station tug]

lurchers always seem to get a rough do,,,i have a young lurcher that i needed to rehome as im moving onto the boat and already have four large dogs,i gave her away after having her boosters redone and visiting the place were she was going with the stipulation that she had to live indoors and if there were any problems at all she would come back to me..two months passed and we got a letter from the dogs home saying they had found my dog 50 miles away from were she had gone..it turns out the man (i use the term very loosely) had split up with his mrs and driven a distance away and dumped her..i have all my dogs chipped and didnt tell the new owner..when i arrived at the dog rescue she looked like an rspca case.i payed the £142 to get her back and now she's living with me again....atleast my dog didnt get hung.....

[Josher]

Update ...

 

 

Woman, 78, is haunted by discovery of hanged dogs

 

Monday, January 03, 2011, 09:30 This is Leicestershire

 

A woman has spoken of her shock at finding two dead dogs hanged from a bridge on an isolated farm track. Mavis Taylor, 78, made the gruesome discovery when she was driving away from the farm where she lives in Congerstone, near Market Bosworth. She found her way blocked by a rope stretched taut across a humpback bridge over the Ashby Canal and got out to investigate. The Mercury reported on Saturday how the RSPCA was investigating the incident. Mrs Taylor said: "I looked over the side of the bridge and there was this dog looking up at me. It was horrible. I expected there to be a weight on the other side of the rope, but when I looked, there was another dog. "It was a real shock. When I think of it now I still shake and the thought of it keeps waking me up." Mrs Taylor said the lane is only used by a few dog walkers and fishermen. She found the dogs – thought to be lurchers – at about 10am on Thursday and reported it to the police, who then called in the RSPCA. She said the track had been clear at 2pm the previous day. Mrs Taylor said she had never seen the dogs before and did not think they were owned by anyone living nearby. She said: "I don't know how anybody could have done this. It is horrific." The RSPCA condemned the killings as "barbaric" and is anxious to trace the dogs' owner, find out any information about the dogs and to hear from people who saw anybody behaving suspiciously in the area of the bridge, which is off Bosworth Road, just outside Congerstone village. The dogs, a male and a female, are thought to have been between 12 and 18 months old. They had been well cared for and wore leather collars, but they did not have any identification tags. An RSPCA spokesman said: "We are desperately trying to find out who did it. "Fortunately, incidents like these are very rare, but they are just so shocking they don't leave you, ever."

 

Anyone with any information about the dogs is asked to contact either Leicestershire police on 0116 222 2222, or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

[Josher]

Latest ....

 

This is Leicestershire Saturday, February 12, 2011, 09:30pm

 

RSPCA urges caller to get back in touch

 

The RSPCA is urging an anonymous caller who called the charity about two dogs which were found hanged from a bridge to get back in touch. The dogs, a pair of lurchers, were found hanging from a canal bridge on a farm track in Congerstone, near Market Bosworth, on December 30.

 

RSPCA chief inspector Jim Lucas said: "I need to speak to one particular caller again, who only recently phoned the RSPCA. The caller remained anonymous, which is absolutely fine, but sadly they didn't leave a contact number. "I need to speak to that person again as they could hold vital information."

 

Whoever made the call is asked to call again and ask to speak to Mr Lucas. They are assured the call will remain anonymous.

 

Call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

[Josher]

Still trying to trace the mystery caller ...

 

Anonymous caller with information on hanged dogs urged to contact RSPCA

 

Feb 18 2011 Hinckley Times

 

THE RSPCA is urging an anonymous caller who rang about the brutal killing of two dogs near Hinckley to call again.

 

Officers are trying to find whoever is responsible for hanging the lurcher dogs from a canal bridge over the Ashby Canal, near Congerstone, on December 30, and believe this caller may have vital information. Chief inspector Jim Lucas said: “This was a barbaric act of cruelty and one which horrified the public. We are doing all we can to bring the offender to justice and we are very grateful to everyone who has called the RSPCA with information.

 

“However I really need to speak to one particular caller again, who only recently phoned the RSPCA. The caller remained anonymous, which is absolutely fine, but sadly they didn’t leave a contact number. I really need to speak to that person again as they could hold vital information which could be the key to this investigation. If it was you who made the call, please call the RSPCA again and ask to speak to me direct.

 

“Your call will remain completely anonymous and will not be used as evidence, but it would help this investigation immensely if you could call back. Your anonymity will be protected at all times, that I can guarantee. “This person obviously felt compelled to ring the first time and we hope that they can just ring us one last time to help move this investigation forward.”

 

The two dogs - one male and one female - were between 12 and 18 months old and a post mortem examination, although not conclusive, revealed that it was likely that the dogs were still alive when they were hanged from the bridge.

 

The caller, or anyone else with information, is asked to ring the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 and ask to speak directly to chief inspector Jim Lucas.

[Josher]

Reward for information increases ...

 

Monday, November 28, 2011 Leicester Mercury

 

An animal rights organisation has increased the reward offered for information about the deaths of two dogs found hanging from a canal bridge. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has upped the reward from £1,000 to £1,500 to try to trace the people responsible for suspending two lurchers by their necks from the bridge over the Ashby Canal at Congerstone, near Market Bosworth.

 

PETA has offered the £1,500 after learning that the RSPCA has now closed the case into the incident, which was discovered by a farmer on December 30 last year. Mimi Bekhechi, a manager at PETA, said: "We have decided to increase the reward on offer because we feel so strongly about this sickening atrocity. We understand why the RSPCA has taken this step but we are appealing to the public to think again and to try to bring these people to justice. Research in criminal psychology shows that there is a definite link between violence towards animals and violence towards people. Whoever has done this to these poor innocent dogs must be caught because they do pose a danger to the public."

 

RSPCA Chief Inspector Jim Lucas said they had no choice but to close the investigation after nearly a year. He said: "We have exhausted all avenues of inquiry and have been left with no leads left to investigate. It is particularly disappointing in such an appalling case that we have not been able to bring the persons responsible to justice. It remains one of the worst cases I have come across in my 20 years with the charity. But we must tell the public that if any new information comes to light we will re-open the case immediately." Chief Insp Lucas said: "I think if these dogs had been kept in a busy street then someone would have noticed that neighbours had two big dogs then suddenly did not." He said he felt the dogs had been taken from an isolated location or from a close-knit community whether that was rural or otherwise. He said: "They have been killed in such a premeditated and gruesome manner that it seems to be some kind of warning."

 

More than 500 virtual candles have been lit in memory of the dogs – a male and a female both aged between 12 and 18 months. Kevin Phillips set up the memorial page to the dogs on the tribute website Gone Too Soon. One message said: "When I first heard about this I was sickened to think that such people would walk this earth. Who could end an innocent animal's life so callously?" Ms Bekhechi said: "Someone out there must know who did this. We hope the extra reward will bring them forward or maybe the passage of time will have changed circumstances and now allow them to pick up the phone."

 

Anyone with information is asked to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.