Reward in search for owner who dumped starved dog

AN animal rights charity is offering a reward of up to £1000 for information after a dog was starved to death and dumped in an Edinburgh garden.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will provide the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for what it described as a "heinous act of cruelty".

Animal cruelty inspectors were horrified when they discovered the Staffordshire bull terrier's corpse behind a hedge in Saughton on Saturday. It is thought that the body was dumped by the animal's owner some time on Friday night or early Saturday morning.

The Scottish SPCA said it was one of the worst cases of cruelty ever seen in Edinburgh, with the male dog weighing less than half what it should.

It suspects the animal, discovered in a garden in Whitson Road, had previously been kept in "squalid" conditions.

An investigation has been launched by the Scottish SPCA and anyone with information is urged to come forward.