A tiny puppy was beaten to death by a gang of schoolboys who used it as a football.

The shocking incident happened in Dundalk in County Louth, and was reported to the local SPCA group.

The small brown pup, no less than six weeks old, was rescued from the youngsters by a member of the public who spotted them kicking it to one another on Friday morning on Castletown Road.

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The man who intervened and rescued the puppy brought it to a nearby animal practice but unfortunately its injuries were too severe and vets at the centre were forced to put it down.

“When the pup was brought she was in bad condition. I was told she was coughing up blood and was very tiny,” said Ms Squibb.

“She was crying in pain as she stretched her head up to gasp for breath. It was terrible to see.”

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In another horrendous incident, Ms Squibb said she was called to the sight of a cat that was “blown up” in Fatima, an area just minutes away from Castletown Road.

“A woman called us this morning after she saw a young boy stick a banger up a cat and run off. Thank god the animal was dead,” she said.

“It exploded by the roadside as a bunch of children watched.

“After that and what happened to that poor puppy, it’s really worrying to think what these people are capable of.

“If they do this to a puppy, what wouldn’t they do to a human being?

“This behaviour has to be nipped in the bud because it is a fact that those who abuse animals go on to do a lot worse.

“If these boys are our future, then God help us.”

Online Editors