RSPCA appeals for information after dog dumped in bag

The young male terrier is being nursed back to health after being dumped outside Finsbury Park Animal Hospital in the middle of the night

A seriously ill dog who was abandoned in a sports bag is being nursed back to health by an RSPCA hospital team in Finsbury Park who found him dumped outside their front door.

The young male terrier, named Ruaidhri by those caring for him, was found in a sports bag that had been dumped outside the charity’s Finsbury Park Animal Hospital on Sunday, 19th October.

Áine Maguire, the hospital’s director, said: “He was left zipped up in a bag at the door of our hospital. We can see from our CCTV that the person arrived at 4.06am on foot and left him outside the main front door.

“He was in a really poor condition and there were real concerns he might not pull through. He was in a collapsed state and we were worried about his brain function.

“Emergency treatment including oxygen therapy, fluids and pain relief were started and investigations into potential causes for his poor condition, including exposure to toxins.

“Thankfully, he’s now slowly gaining strength and while it is still early days, we are happy with his progress so far.”

The charity is hoping to find out more about the incident encouraging anyone with information to get in touch, including a man who was seen in the vicinity at the time and may hold key information.

The charity would like to speak to the man and has released an image in the hope he will come forward with information.

Áine added: “It’s always very sad to see pets who are in desperate need of medical care being left in circumstances such as this and we would urge anyone who is struggling to look after their animals – at what is a very difficult economic time for many people – to seek help and support when their animal first needs help, rather than simply abandoning an animal in their moment of need.”

Ruaidhri is not yet ready for rehoming but many animals rescued by the charity are currently in desperate need of homes.

The RSPCA is asking animal-lovers to give rescue pets the second chance they deserve this ‘Adoptober‘.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.