The hangdog-looking Sharpei called Lexi was thrown out of a car in a remote country lane instead of being taken to a vets so she could have her threadbare coat treated. Animal crime investigators have witnessed a series of cruel dog dumping by owners this winter. Rather than taking unwanted pets to rescue centres, heartless drivers are simply hurling animals on the streets in the harshest conditions of the year.
Lexi was luckily spotted as a callous driver turfed her on to Dalehouse Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The sharp-eyed animal lover watched in shock as blue-coated Lexi was left floundering in a ditch. Fortunately, the other driver managed to rescue Lexi and then rush her to the Coventry branch of the RSPCA.
The animal welfare charity has launched an investigation in the incident. RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith said today: “It was very lucky another motorist saw what happened as Lexi could have been there for a long time and as she has very little fur and it was freezing she could have easily perished.
“The witness said they were driving round a bend and they could see the car pull up, the brakes lights went on and then the dog flew out of the car – there was certainly some force used to do this – then they cruelly accelerated away leaving her behind.
“It was such a callous act to leave a vulnerable dog in such a lonely location. She was recovered from the undergrowth in a ditch and was obviously dazed and frightened.”
At first, vets could not tell Lexi’s colour because of the state of her coat. She has a chronic skin condition, leaving her with sores, scabs and thickened skin as well fur loss. She has been responding well to treatment since she was abandoned on December 28.
Six year old Lexi had been microchipped and was registered to an address in in the Cheylesmore area of Coventry but inquiries have revealed her owner died more than a year ago.
The car involved in the dumping is described as a black Audi or BMW saloon, or similar.
Lexi’s ordeal is the latest dog abandonment investigated by the RSPCA in recent weeks.
CCTV images of Snoop the bull terrier desperately trying to get back into a car after being thrown on the streets of Stoke on Trent went viral last month. Snoop was filmed climbing up at the car and wagging his tail before the vehicle drives away. Since Snoop’s rescue there has been a clamour by animal lovers to own him. Even superstar rapper Snoop Dogg has been reported offering him a new home.
In another case from Stoke, a walking skeleton of a dog called Winston was thrown out of the back of a BMW car on to the freezing streets earlier this month.
Luckily, someone was putting their bins out and rushed to help tan-coated Staffie-cross Winston, placing a blanket over his skeletal body and giving him food.
RSPCA Inspector Jessica Arajo described Winston’s pitiful condition when he was abandoned.
She said: “He was terrified and very skinny and his hips, ribs and spine were clearly visible so he had not been fed properly for some time. It is a really callous act to dump such a vulnerable dog in a dark street.”
Anyone with information about any of these dog abandonments should contact the RSPCA’s appeal line on 0300 123 8018.