A family has been left heartbroken after having to put their beloved dog to sleep after it was allegedly attacked in Aberdeen.
Nine-month-old cavapoochon Ziggy was seriously injured following an incident involving a Staffordshire pit bull terrier in the Sheddocksley area.
Desperate owner Toni Bennett raced the pup to the vet and then took him to a specialist in Livingston, but tragically an infection took hold and he was put down over the weekend.
Miss Bennett said they have been overwhelmed by messages of support, and revealed a petition calling for tougher punishment for owners of dangerous dogs has been set up – and already has nearly 5,000 signatures.
“We wanted to do everything we could to save Ziggy, everyone loved him,” she said.
“Children from around ours would sometimes wait for mum to take him for a walk so they could pet and play with him.
“We had a dog a few years ago and it took us a long time as a family to even think about getting a new one. Ziggy was part of the family.
“When we saw him back in February, our only thoughts were ‘oh my God we have to have him’ – everyone loved our beautiful little dog.”
Donations flooded in to cover vet bills
A couple stopped to help Miss Bennett and called her mother, who raced down to take the pair to the vet.
The puppy suffered a punctured lung as well as injuries to his chest and shoulder and had hemorrhages in his eyes.
A man has since appeared in court in connection with the incident.
A couple stopped to help Miss Bennett and called her mother, who rushed them to the vet.
As news of the incident spread, donations began flooding in from across Scotland towards the cost of the £5,000-plus vets bill.
‘There wasn’t enough of him left to put back together’
Miss Bennett, 24, went to visit Ziggy on Saturday and said he was in “good spirits”, fuelling hopes he would a full recovery.
But sadly, he took a turn for the worse.
“When we called a bit later, the vet said he seemed a little sad that we had left, but we thought everything would be OK,” she said.
“Then on Sunday, we got a call at around 2.25pm saying that his wounds had started weeping and when the vet checked further an infection had spread throughout Ziggy.”
Further assessments suggested Ziggy’s suffering would only continue, leaving the family with only one heartbreaking decision.
Nursery practitioner Miss Bennett added: “There wasn’t enough of him left to put back together.
“The vets told us that the best thing for us to do was for him to be put under anaesthetic so he could pass.
“The vet was so upset they had to leave the room while the anaesthetist worked, they told us that in the end, he was cuddling his toys and that he was cuddling into all of the nurses.”
Justice for Ziggy
The family has been left devastated, but say they have been touched by the support that has come in from far and wide.
Miss Bennett said: “A little girl has just stopped by to drop off a card and a gift to say they’re all thinking of us.
“The support has been amazing, people we have never met have been so ready with their support.
“A lady has even set up a petition for Ziggy.
“She got in contact with me on Instagram and wanted to do something for Ziggy.”
The petition calls on harsher punishment for owners of dangerous dog offences on other animals and has already attracted nearly 5,000 signatures.