Appeal as second rare Dogue de Bordeaux found

A starving and injured pedigree dog had to be put to sleep after being found abandoned in Wolverhampton – less than a month after another of the same rare breed was found dumped in a Dudley canal.

Inspectors from the RSPCA today revealed they believed the two incidents were linked as it was "highly unusual" to come across the Dogue de Bordeaux breed, let alone two just 10 miles apart in such a short space of time. They appealed for information in a bid to catch the culprits.

The six-year-old male dog was found in bushes behind Tiger Wok in Bridgnorth Road, Compton, on Monday by a passer-by who took the animal to a nearby veterinary surgery.

But vets were unable to save the dog, which was severely emaciated, had sores all over his body, and was suffering from heart and lung problems.

On February 29, the animal charity released pictures of a dead dog which had been pulled from the canal near Primrose Bridge, off Cradley Road, Netherton, Dudley. The three-year-old female's legs had been tied together and her head covered with a bin bag.

Inspector Dawn Burrell, who is running the investigation, said she was "truly shocked".

"It is not a common breed of dog so to find two dogs both in shameful states of neglect within a month is highly unusual and clearly we are not ruling out that the two incidents could be linked," she said.

She said a public appeal for information following the incident in Dudley had sparked a "really positive" response.

"I'm hopeful that again the public will come forward if they recognise this dog or knew who owned him," she said. Anyone with information can call 0300 123 4999.