He then strikes the pooch with a stick more than three times before it falls over

He hits the animal with the length of a rope as it wails and winces in pain

Shocking footage has emerged of a man horrifically beating a small dog and then hurlng it away.

The clip, filmed in the city of Johannesburg, in north-eastern South Africa’s Gauteng Province, shows the man holding the little brown dog in the air by the scruff of its neck.

He flails viciously at the poor pooch with a length of rope as it wails pathetically.

He then throws the rope over a rocky outcrop and picks up a stick which he uses to beat the dog even harder.

After hitting the dog with the stick three times, he throws the yelping animal over a small cliff, where it lands painfully on its back.

The dog manages to get to its feet and scramble away as the clip, filmed by an unknown onlooker with a smartphone, ends.

Shocking footage has emerged of a man horrifically beating a small dog and then hurlng it away

The Soweto Animal Rescue and Advisory Centre, based in Johannesburg, became involved after the video surfaced online.

The centre is offering 5,000 ZAR (294 GBP) for information that leads to the man being identified and successfully prosecuted.

A spokesman said: "We appeal to any member of the public who might know the identity of the suspect to contact our anonymous and confidential number on 084 911 9459 with any information which could lead to his arrest. We are confident he will soon be captured and the dog saved."

Anyone with information about the dog abuse can also contact the Soweto Animal Rescue and Advisory Centre on their Facebook page.

The man holds the dog by the scruff of its neck as he strikes the poor pooch repeatedly with a stick