Puppy Euthanized After Being Repeatedly Kicked In Head Outside Supermarket

In a case of animal cruelty, a puppy was euthanized Monday, days after it was repeatedly kicked in the head by some people outside a supermarket in Retford, England.

Joanna Tufts said she was shopping inside the supermarket on Aug. 23, when two children brought the canine into the store asking for help. The children told her they had seen passers-by kick the dog.

“I was in the shop, and the puppy was carried in by two kids who were asking for help. You could tell he was in a really bad state. You could tell that even before he was injured that he hadn’t been looked after properly. So me, some other people and the staff from the store all banded together and managed to get hold of the emergency vet," Tufts told Yahoo News.

"He looked so limp and helpless. He was still alive but you could tell he was in a lot of pain. His eyes weren't really responding. His tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth and his jaw wasn't moving. He had blood coming out of his nose. A witness told me they saw the dog being kicked. Based on his injuries all the trauma was to his head. If he had been hit by a car or something else you would expect to see evidence of that in skin abrasions,” she added.

The puppy’s condition improved over the weekend, however, he again became critical Monday and had to be euthanized.

"I was absolutely heart broken. I was setting up for our annual charity dog show for at the time I got the news. I just turned to my mum and into her arms. Every day that he survived we got more hope that he would pull through, so to get that phone call was absolutely devastating,” Tufts, who owns a dog spa, said.

Confirming the incident, a spokesperson of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said, "We are investigating an attack on a puppy in Welbeck Road in Ordsall, near Retford, on Friday, where the puppy was allegedly repeatedly kicked. Very sadly the poor puppy suffered severe injuries as a result and an independent vet made the difficult decision to put him to sleep to end his suffering. This was a horrendous and upsetting attack on a defenseless puppy and we are urging anyone with information about who is responsible to contact us on 0300 123 8018."