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The remains of a dog which may have been burnt alive were found by firefighters in a gruesome discovery.

This is the woodland scene in Walker where the dog’s body was set alight on Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighters were called out to extinguish a fence on fire in the woods behind Mead Walk in Walker, Newcastle at around 4pm.

Crews put out the blaze and then found the body of a small dog inside a bin bag.

It is believed the dog, thought to be a Shih Tzu called Charlie, had been wrapped up in the bag before it was set alight.

Now the police and the RSPCA have launched a joint investigation to find the culprits who may have tortured the canine to death.

(Image: Google)

RSPCA inspector Cathy Maddison said a vet had examined the remains of the dog and found a microchip that has led investigators to believe the dog was a three-year-old Shih Tzu called Charlie.

She said: “This is a really shocking and upsetting discovery. The fire service were called, but they had no idea the horror they would discover once the fire was put out.

“At this stage we don’t know whether the dog was alive or not when the body was set on fire, which is horrific.

“A vet has examined the remains and it seems that the dog is an entire male Shih Tzu crossbreed, approximately three years old, with cream and tan markings. He did have a microchip which tells us his name was Charlie, but unfortunately it does not have any further details.

“There are still many unanswered questions and we are keen to find out what happened, so we are asking anybody with any information to contact us or the police as soon as possible.”

Police have released an image of the site where the dog’s body was found, in an attempt to piece together the circumstances of his death.

Northumbria Police neighbourhood inspector , Paul Duncan, has appealed for any witnesses to get in touch if they saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area on Wednesday afternoon.

He said: “This incident took place in the middle of the day and we believe members of the public in the area would have seen those responsible.

“It is a very distressing incident and we need to understand what has happened to this young dog.

“A joint investigation is ongoing with the RSPCA to establish the circumstances behind the incident and we are appealing for witnesses.

“An incident like this is likely to cause anger and distress to our local communities and I want to reassure local residents that we are treating this matter seriously.

“If anyone has any information that may help our investigation then we would ask them to get in touch by calling us on 101.”

Station manager Jeff Boath from Tyne and Wear fire and rescue service added: “This was initially reported as a fence on fire. However, on extinguishing the fire it was discovered that a small dog had been set on fire inside a plastic bag.”