There are fears a three-year-old Doberman was dognapped and butchered for pleasure in Chippenham last Tuesday (22 September).
The dog, named Ruby, was being walked in fields in the Pudding Brook area of the town – between Patterdown and Rowden – until around 8.20pm when she became separated from her owner chasing rabbits along a hedgerow.
But despite usually returning, she was nowhere to be found. Ruby’s owners spent an hour and a half in the area calling her name and whistling in an attempt to locate her unbeknown that she had already been discovered 200 metres away.
At around 9pm she was found dead by members of the public near the roadside in Avenue La Fleche having suffered “extensive injuries”.
Initially it was believed Ruby has been hit by a car, however, on a vet’s inspection it is believed the injuries were deliberate, many thought to have been inflicted after her death. It’s said a “sharp object” was used to kill the animal.
Ruby’s owners say she was “gentle” and “trusting”, and would have “gone to anyone”.
Wiltshire Police has since launched a criminal investigation into the incident, and say they do not believe that Ruby was killed at the location she was found, but dumped there following the senseless attack.
“This was understandably a very distressing incident for the owners of the dog”, PC Darren Willis said. Adding: “While initially it was thought the dog may have been knocked down after being found near to a busy road, we now believe this was not the case and that this was in fact a deliberate act.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who may have information in relation to this incident – it is likely that the incident did not occur in the area that the dog was found.
“If you have information which could lead to the identity of those involved, I’d urge you to get in touch immediately.”
If you can help, call police on 101 and quote crime reference number 54200095737. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
