By By Lynn Curwin Aug 19, 2010 in Crime Staverton - A dog who was in the midst of giving birth to puppies was thrown in a river to drown in Wiltshire. Luckily, a man walking nearby heard yelping and splashing and was able to rescue the animal. When he heard splashing and yelping, a local man, walking along the tow path, turned and saw the dog in the water and a man a short distance away. He walked toward the area but the man had left and a white, female English Bull Terrier was struggling in the water. He pulled the dog to the edge and called police. Officers from the Wiltshire Police Dog Section responded. Wiltshire Police Dog Section Sergeant and dog legislation officer Steve Jones said in a ‘The dog had been traumatised by her experience and had numerous fresh wounds on the front of her body, head and neck, none of which were consistent with struggling to get out of the water. It was clear from the outset that we were dealing with an appalling example of animal cruelty made worse, as we later found out, that the dog had very recently given birth to a litter of puppies whose fate is unknown. Two further puppies were delivered by Caesarean Section but sadly died.” The dog was taken to an animal hospital where she was treated for her injuries, and is now under the care of the RSPCA. The man who rescued the dog said: “I am disgusted that anyone could do this to a dog. She was obviously in distress and injured and she was just left there. She was terrified, clinging to a rock until I managed to pull her to the edge. I took off my t shirt to try and dry her off and looked after her until the police arrived.” It is thought that the animal may have been used as bait in training fighting dogs. Wiltshire Police are working with the RSPCA, which has taken over the investigation. The man being sought is described as being of mixed race; between 30 and 40 years of age, and 5’7 – 5’8 tall. He is stocky with a chubby face, goatee and side burns and his hair was very short. Anyone with information on the identity of the man is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 and leave a message for Inspector Miranda Albinson. The dog had been tossed into the River Avon at Staverton shortly after 9 pm on August 11.When he heard splashing and yelping, a local man, walking along the tow path, turned and saw the dog in the water and a man a short distance away.He walked toward the area but the man had left and a white, female English Bull Terrier was struggling in the water. He pulled the dog to the edge and called police.Officers from the Wiltshire Police Dog Section responded.Wiltshire Police Dog Section Sergeant and dog legislation officer Steve Jones said in a press release : “I attended the scene to find a terrified female English Bull terrier cowering at the end of a concrete ledge. After some time I was able to gain the dog’s trust with treats and was able to bring her to safety.‘The dog had been traumatised by her experience and had numerous fresh wounds on the front of her body, head and neck, none of which were consistent with struggling to get out of the water. It was clear from the outset that we were dealing with an appalling example of animal cruelty made worse, as we later found out, that the dog had very recently given birth to a litter of puppies whose fate is unknown. Two further puppies were delivered by Caesarean Section but sadly died.”The dog was taken to an animal hospital where she was treated for her injuries, and is now under the care of the RSPCA.The man who rescued the dog said: “I am disgusted that anyone could do this to a dog. She was obviously in distress and injured and she was just left there. She was terrified, clinging to a rock until I managed to pull her to the edge. I took off my t shirt to try and dry her off and looked after her until the police arrived.”It is thought that the animal may have been used as bait in training fighting dogs.Wiltshire Police are working with the RSPCA, which has taken over the investigation.The man being sought is described as being of mixed race; between 30 and 40 years of age, and 5’7 – 5’8 tall. He is stocky with a chubby face, goatee and side burns and his hair was very short.Anyone with information on the identity of the man is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 and leave a message for Inspector Miranda Albinson. More about Pregnant, Pets, River More news from pregnant dog river