The sick fiend who wrapped a dog in a bin bag and dumped it in a Dundee bin faces up to a year in prison and a £20,000 fine.
The dog, a male pointer crossbreed, was found in a bin in Dundonald Street by a member of the public on Friday.
They alerted the Scottish SPCA who then took the severely malnourished and dehydrated dog, which was unable to stand, to a vet who decided the only humane option was to put the animal down.
A spokesman for the Scottish SPCA said whoever abandoned the dog faces up to a year in prison or a £20,000 fine when caught.
Chief Inspector John Carle said: “The dog was found at the bottom of a large metal bin, which our local inspector had to climb into in order to rescue him.
“We think it’s possible he was put into the bin late on Thursday night or in the early hours of Friday morning when it was dark.
“He was wearing a black nylon collar and had a black bag wrapped around his body from his waist down but we don’t know if he was fully inside the bag when he was dumped.
“The dog was estimated to be between 10 and 12 years old so we have to consider that he may have been abandoned due to his age, which is unthinkably cruel.
“This poor dog would have been absolutely terrified and was suffering a great deal when he was found.
“We are currently checking whether there is any CCTV nearby and we are appealing to anyone with information about this despicable act to help us with our investigation.
“If anyone knows of a person in the local area who recently owned a dog matching this description we would urge them to contact us.”
Abandoning an animal and causing unnecessary suffering are offences under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
Anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.
In more serious cases they can be fined up to £20,000 or jailed for up to a year.
Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
