A dog-loving Bermondsey man is searching for the owner of an “Italian greyhound” pup he found dead on the Thames banks.
Paul Townsend, 52, a builder living on the Longfield Estate, found the dog on Rotherhithe Beach, a stretch of shore off Rotherhithe Street near the Mayflower pub, on Saturday, March 5.
Sadly, the dog was not micro-chipped and has since been cremated – but Paul is still keen to find out who its owner was.
“I’d like to fill them in and let them know where it was found, and that I’d tried my best. I’m happy to speak to them if they get in contact,” he said.
Paul, who owns a seven-year-old Akita-German Shepherd cross, had seen people talking about the dog on social media and had to intervene.
“Me and my friend got down there and I spotted the dog straight away. It was right by the boat. I thought ‘it’s so sad to see’ it brought tears to my eyes, Paul said.
He added: “I love dogs I’ve had dogs all my life… I’ve ever never heard of a dog being found on the Thames.”
The pooch, probably an Italian greyhound, is described as white with brown-grey patches and roughly eighteen months to two years old.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Paul said the body looked as if it had been there for less than 24 hours.
He took the dog to the London Animal Hospital in Denmark Hill where it was checked for a microchip.
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As of April 6, 2016, owners are legally obliged to get their dogs chipped in case they get lost.
The London Animal Hospital confirmed it had received a two-year-old dog marked as ‘stray’ who was not chipped, which had since been cremated.
But there has been an outpouring of thanks for Paul, with people praising his caring nature.
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One social media user wrote: “Paul, so sweet of you and your friend. I’m so happy people do care about our fur babies.”
Another wrote on the NextDoor site: “Thank you so much Paul! I’m hoping this will bring peace to the owners.”
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “If someone finds the body of a dead animal and is concerned they might have been cruelly treated or neglected, we ask them to report this to our national cruelty and advice line.”
“This sounds really upsetting and we’d encourage those with first-hand information to report this to the police, and the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999,” they added.
If you believe this was your dog contact: [email protected]
