GARDAI in Salthill, Galway, have appealed for information about the horrific attack on two dogs in the area on Tuesday.
An eight year old springer spaniel, Sam, and his two year old pup, Sonny, were tied together and hanged from a tree near Galway Golf Course.
The older dog, which died, had been cut open along the stomach. The pup, which suffered a bruised and swollen neck, survived. Sonny was recovering from the ordeal yesterday at the home of 15 year old Amy Collins, of Kingston, Galway.
In a similar attack in the area late last year, which was not reported at the time, a dog was discovered hanging from a tree near the golf club boundary. The dog had been cut with a knife and burned on the tongue with cigarettes.
A spokesman at Salthill Garda station said such attacks were comparatively rare in the area. There was as yet no evidence to link the two attacks, he said.
A local vet, Mr David Fitzgerald, said he had treated Sonny for his injuries and he was doing "quite well".
Mr Fitzgerald said he had not heard of any other attacks in the Galway area which were as cruel as the two Salthill attacks.
"For years cats have suffered at the hands of young guys doing all kinds of things to them. We don't see them because the cats are usually dead.
"That's probably the most worrying aspect. It is the second incident that's happened. The first time it wasn't reported because the dog was dead. I suppose this one wouldn't have been highlighted if the two dogs were dead - either," Mr Fitzgerald said.