A banned breed pitbull may have been involved in illegal dogfighting before it was killed in an road accident in Spalding.
The female dog was accidentally knocked down and killed by a taxi in Hawthorn Bank on July 19.
Police and the RSPCA were called after it became clear the dog was a pitbull, which is a banned breed in this country.
And the RSPCA inspector believes that not all of the injuries the dog suffered were from the crash and may have been received in dog fighting quite recently.
It is possible the half pence size puncture wounds were the result of being bitten by another dog in an undercover fight on which people place bets on which dog will win.
Police, the RSPCA and South Holland’s dog warden are now asking for help to track down the dog’s owner, particularly as the dog had recently given birth to pups.
It is known that the dog had been brought over from Lithuania and had a microchip registered there, but details were not up to date.
Witnesses who have already come forward have suggested the dog may have lived in the St Thomas’s Road area of Spalding as it had been seen being walked near Aldi on several occasions.
It was muzzled and with a dark-haired Lithuanian woman, of medium build, about 5ft 9ins in her late 20s or early 30s. There was also a child of about four years old with fair hair.
The dog’s ears had been illegally cut – a common practice with fighting dogs – possibly using scissors.
Dog warden Rachel Thompson said: “I was shocked when they told me it was a confirmed pitbull and that it had probably been involved in dog fighting because I honestly didn’t realise that sort of thing happened around here. I thought it was more of a city thing, but now it seems the countryside isn’t what I thought it was.
“There are definitely certain elements of our community who could be involved in dog fighting and as they need somewhere isolated, such as a farm, to hold these fights, this area is ideal.
“Several people have reported seeing this dog being walked in the past couple of weeks. This woman was very brave to do so, as it would have been seized immediately if it had been reported.
“We need to find her and the puppies as soon as possible and anyone who has information about her or of any illegal dog fighting should report it immediately to myself, the police or RSPCA immediately.”
Call police on 101 quoting incident 507 of July 19, the RSPCA on 0300 1234999 or Rachel on 01775 761161.
