Deaf and blind dog tied to railway line
A FAMILY'S pet poodle was stolen from their garden before being taken to a railway line – where it was tied to the track.
Luckily, a station guard found the helpless animal – which is deaf and blind – bound by the neck with baling twine and was able to free her before a train passed.
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Carolynne Salt with Flossy safely back in her arms
Police are investigating after Flossy was plucked from the garden of owner Carolynne Salt in the early hours of the morning.
The 18-year-old miniature poodle was snatched from the garden in Leedstown, West Cornwall, and taken to nearby St Erth Station where the thieves tethered her to the track for high-speed trains.
The guard who spotted and rescued Flossy – she is just 18 inches long – then called a dog warden to the scene.
"It was still dark and at first, I thought it was a big rat. The poor thing was shaking and tied so tight it could hardly move – whoever did this is just sick," he said.
"It would definitely have been killed but luckily, it was left on Platform Three and the first train in arrives on Number Two.
"I untied it and put it in the office but it walked straight into the door and it was then I realised that it must be blind."
Owner Mrs Salt, a 56-year-old widow, said she was "dumbstruck and sickened" by the cruelty towards Flossy.
The mother-of-four, who works in a hotel, said: "I don't know how anybody could be so cruel and heartless to a little creature that cannot defend itself.
"I left the house in a hurry because my mother was in a cancer hospice and had taken a turn for the worse."
Mrs Salt said that Flossy was in the garden with her mother's two Yorkshire terriers, but had disappeared when her son woke up.
"Everyone in the area helped search for her. She can't go far by herself because she can't see or hear anything.
"When the dog warden told us she was safe, I was relieved at first, but when they told us the details, I felt sick to my stomach and I still can't believe it."
Brian Keast, senior environmental enforcement officer for Penwith Council, has started an investigation into the crime on October 24.
He said: "The dog has been abducted – there is no doubt about it – and somebody must have seen something.
"It is horrific and beggars belief that someone could do such a thing and leads us to believe it could be some form of vengeance.
"The dog was clearly shaken and very traumatised by the events and stuck close to my side afterwards.
"We would like to hear from anyone who saw a car parked outside the family home or pull up outside the station."
Flossy and her sister Candy were rescued from a violent home 15 years ago, but Candy was later run over by a car.
Mrs Salt said: "Flossy is such a dear little thing. I'm delighted she seems to be all right after the ordeal. I just hope they catch the horrible person who did this."
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said officers had been informed of the incident and were liaising with the council over its investigation.
16 Comments
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by Lynn Doswell, York
Saturday, March 20 2010, 1:10PM
“Shame on you Mr Tweedie. Dogs love to eat.
So pleased that this sickening story had a happy outcome.”
by Derek Tweedie, London
Thursday, January 29 2009, 8:41PM
“What beggars belief is the fact that how cruel it is to have a deaf AND blind dog, what quality of live must that animal have. all it can do is smell (breathe) and eat. shame on you.”
by Bonnie, Florida
Friday, November 14 2008, 4:45PM
“I have to wonder if all the violent video games that kids and adults play these days, which diminish torture and abuse to mere "scores" are not resulting in an entire generation of people numb to abuse. How anyone can find amusement in the pain of another living being is just beyond comprehension to me. I hope they find the sick scumbags who did this. But the laws MUST be changed, so that mere slaps on the wrist are changed to true prison time in order to make people think twice about this kind of madness. Something has got to be done, because this is a cycle that is out of control.”
by Kathleen Jennings, St. George, Utah USA
Thursday, November 13 2008, 4:29PM
“Can you just imagine what type of individuals these are who have done this to Flossy! How many more animals have they harmed in such a way, or worse! I do hope the officials and community are able to capture these individuals before they commit more evil.”
by r maca, texas
Thursday, November 13 2008, 3:51PM
“Animal cruelty needs to be taken very seriously! People need to be punished for abusing animals! Thank goodness this dog is safe now!”
by ruth, hertfordshire
Thursday, November 13 2008, 9:30AM
“obviously the 'human' who did this was some bored ill brought up kid.. like many in todays society.
mainly because as far as I am aware schools do not give any time to discuss the value of animals in our society..or the respect we should all have for them as fellow creatures with just as much right to exist as any of us. They are too busy teaching children about war..sex..drugs..animal experiments..etc..
I am glad I have no children to be miseducated in this manner.. and to mix with the offspring of such parents who also think its funny to let their kids run riot and hurt whatever or whoever they choose....”
by Val, USA
Thursday, November 13 2008, 5:00AM
“Reminds me of my Victoria, a black feline - Back in August 1986 she was only 8 weeks old and she loved playing in the yard area of my residence. Her brother Pierre, a Siamese, and myself laid down for a nap and when I awoke I couldn't find Victoria. To make a long story short, my next door neighbor had found her limp dead body thrown into their fenced yard and the neighbor discarded her in his trash can. I had an autopsy done on her and discovered she was squeezed to death. I did more investigating and found out that the college guys in the building across from me were going around town killing all the black cats. I drove them out of their building and then went after them at their next residence - I kept up with them and found out they were trying to get a black kitten I had chosen to come back for that had been born around the middle of September, just a couple weeks after Victoria was killed. I was so worried they would get the only black kitten born in that litter just to kill the animal, I got him prematurely at only 3 and a 1/2 weeks old and he is still with me to this day. He is 22 years old and counting having conquered cancer and living with renal (kidney) failure for over 10 years but he's my best buddy. I will never understand why anyone would ever want to hurt an innocent animal.”
by diane pigott, maryland
Thursday, November 13 2008, 4:32AM
“Thank God this dog was saved!
I am sick to the bone to hear things such as this on a daily basis. Prayers and love to this family . Prayers for our world.”
by Virginia Abreu de Paula, Brazil
Thursday, November 13 2008, 2:09AM
“I can only second to everything I have just read above. Cornwalls Voice for Animals said it all. I also would like to say how happy I am to know the dog is safe back home. What a relief.”
by Gayle, USA
Wednesday, November 12 2008, 11:26PM
“The only way to end crime is to make the punishment life in prison. It has been proven over and over throughout history that those who harm animals DO harm humans, so unless we start locking these evil scum away, the cycle of violence and criminal activity will continue.”