Puppy was treated as a football
Heartbroken animal rescue worker Linda Mercer hugs this tiny puppy just before it had to be put to sleep after being kicked around by a group of youths.
A man walking in Temple Park, in South Shields, rescued the animal after he saw the group throwing her around.
He took the six to eight-week-old Labrador cross to St Francis Animal Rescue, in South Shields.
Vets found out she had suffered brain damage and been blinded and decided it was kindest to put her down.
The man took the puppy home where it kept falling over and would not eat and so on Monday he took her to St Francis Animal Rescue.
The puppy, who was called Maddy by animal rescue workers, was put on a drip and given injections but then started having fits every 10 minutes and vets advised the kindest thing would be to put her down.
'Learn lesson'
Ms Mercer, who has worked with St Francis Animal Rescue for 15 years, said she had been devastated by the incident.
She said: "It was the most dreadful thing I have seen in all my rescue time, and I have seen some terrible things.
"This was a tiny baby that hadn't even had a life. It will stay with me for a long time.
"I want people to see what has been done. I would like to think someone will learn a lesson from this."
St Francis Animal Rescue was set up around 25 years ago and cares for homeless animals and helps people in the community by offering a neutering service, to reduce the number of unwanted animals.
It is run by volunteers and relies on donations.
That poor puppy. I hope those kids get destroyed for this.
Heartbroken animal rescue worker Linda Mercer hugs this tiny puppy just before it had to be put to sleep after being kicked around by a group of youths.
A man walking in Temple Park, in South Shields, rescued the animal after he saw the group throwing her around.
He took the six to eight-week-old Labrador cross to St Francis Animal Rescue, in South Shields.
Vets found out she had suffered brain damage and been blinded and decided it was kindest to put her down.
The man took the puppy home where it kept falling over and would not eat and so on Monday he took her to St Francis Animal Rescue.
The puppy, who was called Maddy by animal rescue workers, was put on a drip and given injections but then started having fits every 10 minutes and vets advised the kindest thing would be to put her down.
'Learn lesson'
Ms Mercer, who has worked with St Francis Animal Rescue for 15 years, said she had been devastated by the incident.
She said: "It was the most dreadful thing I have seen in all my rescue time, and I have seen some terrible things.
"This was a tiny baby that hadn't even had a life. It will stay with me for a long time.
"I want people to see what has been done. I would like to think someone will learn a lesson from this."
St Francis Animal Rescue was set up around 25 years ago and cares for homeless animals and helps people in the community by offering a neutering service, to reduce the number of unwanted animals.
It is run by volunteers and relies on donations.
That poor puppy. I hope those kids get destroyed for this.
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