The dog’s owner Portia Benson said she reluctantly gave Taz, a 7-month-old whippet cross, up for re-homing on Monday last week after what she describes as “unforeseen circumstances”.
Benson said a man came to meet Taz.
“We knew him via friends and asked him to meet Taz prior [to collecting]. He then took Taz the following day.”
After Benson saw a Facebook post on a Waihī community page about a pup being “hit by a car”, she was alarmed to find Taz was the dog concerned.
She rushed to the vet clinic on Wednesday morning to find Taz had injuries to all of its legs, Benson said.
She was advised that Taz had been brought in by a man who told the vet he had “found her on the side of the road” and that he “hoped the owners would come forward for her”.
The man who collected Taz was approached via phone but did not reply to inquiries.
Taz’s injuries were significant, and according to the vet who attended to Taz, her injuries were consistent with being dragged behind a car, but that was only one possibility.
The vet could not rule out an accidental fall from the deck of a ute while tethered or the possibility the animal had been hit by a car.
The dog is now back at her original home with “some very upset kiddies”, Benson said.
Taz was now “getting some well-needed bedrest”.
Benson said she made a report to police regarding the incident.
On its website, the SPCA states that it received thousands of reports last year concerning animal welfare and attended more than 13,700 callouts.
It advised people to contact them immediately should they have concerns about the neglect or cruelty of an animal. All reports were treated in confidence, and if deemed necessary, an animal welfare inspector may be dispatched.
