Dog was weighted down and thrown into water

Appeal... Scottish SPCA officers are looking for information on the dog.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted after the female dog was found in water near Overtown Road on Friday, May 15.

The charity released photographs which were felt to be too distressing to be used on the Gazette website.

A post-mortem revealed the dog had been struck on the head, neck and body.

Inspector Heather Lawson said, “The dog had been in the water for 24 to 48 hours before she was discovered.

“Although the trauma to her head and neck was significant it would have been unlikely to be the cause of death, which is unexplained at this stage. It is not yet known if she was still breathing when she entered the water.

“The dog had been weighed down with two large, slab-like stones which had been tied to her lead.

“She was a young brown female Staffordshire bull terrier type and other than her injuries was in good bodily condition. She was a very unusual colour for this breed as this shade of brown is more commonly seen in Patterdale terriers or chocolate Labradors.

“We would appeal to anyone who recognises the description of this dog and knows who may have done this to her to contact us on 03000 999 999.”