Terrified and underweight dog found tied to tree in Oldham sparks RSPCA investigation

A terrified and underweight greyhound that was abandoned and left tied to a tree has sparked an investigation.

The whimpering dog was found in Littlemoor Lane, in Oldham, at about 2:30pm on Thursday 2 December by a member of the public.

RSPCA Inspector Paul Heaton rescued the scared pet, that was not microchipped, very underweight and dehydrated.

The greyhound, which is thought to be around six years old, was given food and kept on a drip overnight and is now doing well in RSPCA care  

The animal charity is now investigating and is keen to find out who dumped the dog, which they believe may have been called Duke.

Inspector Heaton said: “The poor dog was obviously frightened and was in poor shape because he was grossly underweight.

"However, he is very friendly and loving and now doing well in our care and if no-one comes forward he will be re-homed through our charity.

“From preliminary investigations I believe the dog may have been called Duke so we have kept this name and I am now keen to find the person responsible for abandoning him in such a callous way.

“I am also keen to hear from anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area or anyone who knows someone who owned a dog like this 

“It seems his owner has decided to just tie him to a tree and leave him vulnerable and scared and then walk away from their terrified pet who had clearly not had much to eat in the weeks leading up to this abandonment."

The RSPCA has urged anyone with information to contact their appeal line on 0300 123 8018.

In Greater Manchester there were 158 reports of animals being abandoned last winter - including 55 in December. 

The RSPCA say the amount of animals abandoned has risen to almost pre-pandemic levels and the charity fears this festive season could be even more.

Paul added: “We are already seeing abandonments rise month on month and are braced for a surge of abandoned and neglected animals as pet ownership soared during lockdown, with an estimated 3.2m people welcoming pets into their lives last year.

"We’re asking people to Join the Rescue this Christmas to help us help animals and bring abandoned animals to safety.”