Heartbreaking CCTV footage shows man dump dog on Seaham roadside

CCTV footage shows a man abandoning a Staffie cross outside Parklands Care Home in Seaham at 5.10am on Thursday, October 10.

Staff found the dog, who appeared to be frightened, at 7am and after checking CCTV they alerted the RSPCA.

Inspector Cathy Maddison has now launched an investigation into the abandoning of the dog, who has been nicknamed Panda.

Cathy said: “It was dark when he was abandoned but you can see a tall man with his hood up with Panda before he’s abandoned.

“Panda was taken to the vet where staff found he was micro-chipped but his chip wasn’t registered.”

It is a legal requirement in England to have your pet dog micro-chipped with your details registered so that they can be found as quick as possible if they go missing.

Cathy suspects that Panda’s owner may have abandoned him when they could no longer look after him.

She said: “Unfortunately we respond to thousands of calls every year where an animal has been abandoned because their owner simply can’t take care of them anymore.

“Pets are a huge commitment and responsibility, and they can be expensive, so we find many dogs, cats, horses and other pets are abandoned every year.”

“We’ve called him Panda due to his pretty black and white markings.

“He’s in fairly good condition and was wearing a smart, new red collar.

“Panda is a lovely boy but he’s obviously really confused and is absolutely terrified. It’s so sad.”

Panda had been micro-chipped in 2016 and vets believe he may be around three years old.

The RSPCA hopes to track down the person responsible for leaving Panda outside the care home.

Panda is now being cared for by the RSPCA.

Anyone with information is urged to contact their appeal number on 0300 123 8018 to speak to Cathy or leave her a message.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals visit www.rspca.org.uk/give.