Sole survivor: Incredible survival of dog who was beaten, tied in a plastic bag and dumped in a river with two other greyhounds who died
- Dogs were found by two bike riders in the area of Gil Gomez de Arahal, Seville
- The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed in a press statement that the three dogs had been beaten and placed inside sacks which were then closed with a rope
- The rescued dog, named Gabi, was also infected with parasites and is recovering properly but ‘it is scared of men and avoids them’
A Spanish sighthound has incredibly survived being beaten, tied in a plastic bag and dumped in a river after managing to poke its nose out to breathe while the sack was floating in Spain.
Three dogs, all Spanish sighthounds, were found by two bike riders in the area known as Gil Gomez de Arahal, in the province of Seville, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, on 30 June.
Olga Diana, president of the El Amparo del Sur animal protection association, said she had driven there in a car after being called to the scene by the bike riders, whose names have not been revealed.
The riders, she said, ‘saw there was a nose coming from one of them (the bags) and the bag was open and the dog ran away but it came back by itself shortly after’.
Pictured: The moment the one of the dogs is pulled from the river in the area known as Gil Gomez de Arahal, in the province of Seville, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, near the Guadaira River on 30 June
Pictured: Vets treat the malnourished Spanish sighthound after it was rescued from a river in Seville
Pictured: The dog which survived moments after it was rescued from the river in Seville last month
Olga said volunteers from the association went to the scene and called the police after they found the three dogs, which all had been microchipped and belonged to the same person.
The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed in a press statement that the three dogs had been beaten and placed inside sacks which were then closed with a rope.
The dogs, all sighthounds, were then thrown into the river and only the survivor managed to get its nose out of the bag to breathe.
In the video, volunteers can be seen caring for the wounded dog whilst the sacks containing the other dogs are pulled from the river.
The bodies of the dogs can be seen packed into the sacks with visible wounds to their heads as the surviving pooch looks on.
The Civil Guard confirmed a 60-year-old man who lives in the town of Arahal is being investigated as the alleged perpetrator.
The owner of the dogs, who has not been named, has been asked to give a statement as part of the police investigation.
The sighthound which survived was taken to the Moron de la Frontera veterinary clinic where vets found it had suffered a serious blow to the head, injuries to its legs and further injuries to its nose caused by an improvised muzzle.
A video shows the seemingly undernourished sighthound on the vet’s table and then being cared for in a cage.
Pictured: Vets treat the malnourished Spanish sighthound after it was rescued from a river in Seville. The dog is said to be recovering well but still becomes afraid around men
All three dogs were microchipped and supposedly all belonged to the same single owner
The dog named Gabi was also infected with parasites and Olga said the pooch is recovering properly but ‘it is scared of men and avoids them’.
She said they are looking to have the dog officially given to the association so they can help find it a new family.
Javier Sanabria, coordinator of the political party PACMA (an animal rights political party) in Seville, said that both the association and the political party have reported the case.
He said killing sighthounds ‘used to happen, especially in areas where hunting with greyhounds is common, like in Andalusia and Castilla La Mancha,’ adding it is done ‘for many reasons, they are getting old, they are useless, because the animal does not have the skills they want, but not all greyhounds are hunters or have the skills for hunting.
‘According to reports from Affinity, more than 50,000 greyhounds are abandoned in Spain every year.’
The investigation is ongoing and so far no arrests have been made but the suspect remains under investigation.