The RSPCA has released an appeal after a ‘heartbreaking’ increase in cruelty to dogs in Greater Manchester.

The animal charity says it received 2,940 reports about cruelty to dogs in the city region last year, compared to 2,479 in 2022 – an increase of nearly a fifth.

Now, it has launched its No Animal Deserves Cruelty summer appeal, and is asking for donations through its website.

According to the charity, a young Belgian Malinois dog was discovered hanging by its neck on Stones Bank Road, in Bolton, just last month.

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The dog, who was wearing a metal chain, had become caught on a pole amongst vegetation and it took the finder several hours to get the body down and take the animal to a vet.

It’s believed he had been deliberately thrown down the bank and then became entangled on the pole, although it’s not known whether he was dead or alive at this stage.

A scan at the vet showed the dog was microchipped but the details had not been kept-up-to date and the last registered keeper said he had sold the one-and-a-half-year old Malinois to another man about nine or ten months previously.

Concerned about the suspicious circumstances in which he was found, the RSPCA was contacted, and the charity has been making enquiries since.

RSPCA inspector Rachel Whalley, who thanked the member of the public for taking action, said: “The dog was also examined at our animal hospital in Greater Manchester but sadly the state of decomposition was such that a postmortem would not have been able to establish a cause of death.

“Nevertheless, we’re concerned about how this young dog came to be found in these circumstances and we’d urge anyone with first-hand information to get in touch.”

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Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of the RSPCA, said: “It is heartbreaking that more dogs need our help - we need to make a stand against this and say ‘no more’.

“Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend, yet more and more dogs are being subjected to cruelty every year. Dogs are the most popular pet in the UK yet also the ones who potentially suffer the most.

“We would love to see, next year, cruelty going down.

“We know we can’t do this alone - so our purpose is for everyone to work together to create a kinder world for animals.

“That's why we've launched our summer appeal, because it’s vital that we all take action together to help animals like these dogs.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.