On Friday 17 May around 7.20pm, my Jack Russell cross, Rory, was subjected to a brutal attack outside Tesco on Duke Street in Leith.
He was tied up outside at the back entrance for 10 minutes while I was in the shop.
When I came out Rory was lying on the ground together with a blonde haired woman, shaking and covered in blood. A man who had been driving along Duke Street in a white van had witnessed the attack and stopped his van to help my dog.
The man told me that a drunk had come out of the Duke’s Head pub, crossed the road and approached Rory – the drunk started to kick Rory in the chest and stomach, punching him in the head and spitting on the dog.
My understanding is that the drunk was chased away by the man in the van. He then continued across the road into another pub called the Marksman. The kind man and woman comforted my injured dog until I came out. I took Rory home, called the Police and the SSPCA before taking him to the PDSA animal hospital on Hutchison Crossway. Rory was fully examined and thankfully had no serious injuries but was in a lot of pain. The vet attributed the pain to internal bruising and has prescribed him a strong painkiller to take for 5 days.
Police Scotland are carrying out a full investigation into this brutal, unprovoked attack of a defenceless animal but to no avail. I really do hope that the kind man and woman who helped Rory come forward and give a witness statement which will help catch the individual who did this. I would hate another animal to suffer unnecessarily in this way.
I have attached a picture of Rory making a recovery at home.
Submitted by Rebecca Gibb
Sad story but hardly “news”. “Dog attacked in Leith” doesn’t really get the blood pumping. You’ll be giving the The Sunday Post and People’s Friend a run for their money at this rate…
This story was submitted by one of our readers. We aim for a breadth of coverage as you might see from all the articles published today.
I’m afraid Lawrence that this is news. It is a crime under the Animal Welfare Act, alerts readers to the current dangers of leaving animals unattended, and also conveys community action and accountability, which is reflected in the van driver and blonde female who did not walk by, but became involved, coming to the animals aid. This newspaper’s remit, as I understand it, is not only to report local news, but also to define, by its voluntary readership, the community it serves. Job done. It should also be noted that animal abuse is often correlated with domestic violence and other crimes. All animal abuse should therefore be taken very seriously.
I have to say it was the first story I read. I can see Mr Jamieson’s point, but the Edinburgh Reporter is a catalyst – and stories like this lead to questions, such as those raised by Ms Morrison, and also point to wider issues in society. So there. Ooff! (that was the sound of me, falling off my high horse).
Thank you all for the comments above. The main reason I wanted to get this article published is to raise awareness of the growing issue that is animal abuse and to also try and get the witnesses to come forward. Without these two lovely people, Rory may not be with me today. Part of the story wasn’t published and that was if a witness came forward and it lead to a prosecution; then I would personally donate £1000 to the PDSA animal hospital. They did an amazing job and sorted Rory out with pain relief immediately. Thanks for taking time to read the story.
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