Woman gets home to find pet dog beheaded with missing front leg, says she is 'struggling to sleep at night now'
An investigation has been launched after a dog owner from Bilston, Wolverhampton in the UK found her pet dead at her doorstep whose head was partially beheaded and front leg completely severed. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and police have launched an investigation after black-and-white Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Hollie, was found dead on May 19. Her owner Andrea Jarvis made the shocking discovery after returning home from work. According to reports, when Jarvis called Hollie to come for her tea, she did not show up, which led the mother of an 18-year-old boy to look for her pet. She later found her decapitated body on the garden patio. The dog had been partially beheaded and her front leg was almost completely severed, but it was not known how and when she was killed.
“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing – Hollie was dead and her body had been left cut up in such a terrible way. We have had Hollie for 13 years and she was such a loving dog I can’t believe this has happened. When I couldn’t find her I expected she was curled up on my bed – nothing could prepare me for what I found – it was horrific and so upsetting. I am struggling to sleep at night now it has been terrible and my other dog Maise is missing Hollie too. I just hope someone will come forward to the RSPCA so we can find the person responsible,” Jarvis said as reported by The Metro.
It has also been said that the dog owner initially believed Hollie could have been taken from the garden for a dogfight, but vets who examined her found no evidence of injuries caused by another dog. After the May 19 death of Hollie, the family wrote a message on Facebook, which read: “My lovely dog Hollie was found dead tonight, head decapitated and also missing a front leg. No blood anywhere, she was covered in mud but found on a dry patio area, with no mud anywhere to be found in the garden. Best guess is she’s been used for dogfighting, taken from the garden then returned. Police have been informed, I’ve taken her to the vets tonight to be cremated, the worst thing was being asked by the police to take pictures of her and her injuries so they can pass all information onto the RSPCA. No words can describe how I feel right now, some people will say 'it’s only a dog', but she was family. We had her 13 years, she was soft as a bag full of kittens, all she wanted was to be fussed, loved, and fed. You couldn’t have asked for a better dog. RIP Hollie.”
Meanwhile, the animal welfare charity and West Midlands Police have urged people to come forward if they have any information related to the incident. “We do not know why or how Hollie was killed but we believe she was taken from the garden – where she was left as Andrea went to work – and killed elsewhere. There was no blood in the garden which suggests the attack happened elsewhere. Her head was almost decapitated and her front leg had been severed and was hanging on by a piece of skin. It seems she was then brought back and dumped on the patio. The injuries sustained are horrendous and this has come as a huge shock to her owners,” RSPCA inspector Adam Bailey said, adding: “We are keen to trace anyone who may have information about what happened to Hollie or to anyone who saw anything suspicious to call the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.”
While a spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We were alerted to an incident in Vernon Road, Wolverhampton, at 6.45 pm on Tuesday, May 19 and the discovery of the resident’s pet dog dead in the back garden. A joint investigation has been launched alongside the RSPCA. At this stage the injuries are not believed to be consistent with a dog or fox attack; the dog’s body will be examined by vets in a bid to shed light on how the animal died.”