Dog Repeatedly Stabbed Until Its Head Split in Half These pictures give some idea of the extent of the dog’s horrific injuries. His head is a mass of stitches. Happily, vet George Pate believes he will make a full recovery.

WHAT BEAST DID THIS TO A HELPLESS ANIMAL? (‘Never in my 18 years of practice have I seen anything like this’ Vet George Pate) VET George Pate told this week how he had to operate to save the life of a dog that had been stabbed 18 times. George of the Avalon Pet Clinic in Milngavie, was contacted by police who had found the dog last Thursday. He said "When the police called me out I was expecting to find a dog that had been injured. Never in my 18 years of practice have I seen anything like this. It was horrific. He had injuries to his head where it was split in half and you could see right through to his skull and the dog’s right ear was hanging off. It certainly wasn’t what I was ready for, but it would have been too easy just to put him down." "The police thought that I would have to put him to sleep but we managed to get him back to the clinic and stabilise him". The Staffordshire bull terrier needed 72 stitches and has skull and muscle damage. It is believed he had been tied up while the attack took place. Doreen Graham of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: "Bull terriers have been on the receiving end of some horrendous cruelty. Because of the bull terrier stance they are very often used by people to create a macho image but nothing could be further from the truth. They are actually nicknamed the "nanny dog" because they are so good with children. "Throughout the years there have been cases where the dogs have been set alight deliberately. The fact that this dog has been stabbed repeatedly shows that whoever carried out the attack obviously aimed to hurt the dog and were not defending themselves against it." "This is an appalling act of cruelty, after being stabbed 18 times it is a very lucky dog that some of its vital organs were not hit. I hope the animal pulls through. We would urge anyone with any information to call us on 0131.339.0111 or call the police." Under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 the culprit could go to prison for up to six months, face a fine not exceeding £5,000, a life ban of keeping animals, or all 3. A passer-by heard the dog’s cries in Barrisdale Road, Maryhill, and contacted the police. A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: "This is completely horrendous and we are carrying out further inquiries. The dog has dreadful injuries and we are urging anyone who might have witnessed the attack to contact Maryhill Police Office immediately on 0141.532.3700." George gave the Herald a progress report later in the week. "He is definitely a lot happier today. We will have to keep an eye on his left side but the racket he is now making, it is clear that he has enough strength now to moan about the fact that he is in a kennel. "He is eating and drinking, but if he keeps making that amount of noise we will unfortunately have to send him to the cat and dog home." "This is a dog that is not a dog for everyone, but I am sure someone out there may be able to spend some time with him and perhaps even give him a good home and a lot of TLC: he certainly could be doing with some."