A puppy allegedly killed by another dog will be cremated alongside his favourite toy.
Ziggy the Cavapoochon was just nine-months-old when he died on Sunday, in the care of vets who had battled to bring him back to health.
His heartbroken dog owner Toni Bennett shared her family’s devastation at losing their beloved pet to horrific injuries sustained in an alleged attack in Aberdeen.
Toni told the Daily Record how she was walking Ziggy in Sheddocksley Playing Fields around 8.45pm on Monday September 6, when she claims another dog pounced.
The 24-year-old nursery practitioner rushed Ziggy to the nearest vets but he later had to be driven to Veterinary Specialists Scotland in Livingston for surgery.
After sustaining a punctured lung, broken ribs, puncture wounds, muscle damage and haemorrhages behind his eyes, Ziggy was kept in animal ICU for almost seven days.
Around 2.25am on Sunday morning Ziggy had to be rushed in for another emergency surgery as his wounds were weeping but he sadly could not be saved.
Devastated Toni told the Record: “We went down to see him on Saturday morning and he was really happy to see us, his tail was wagging and he was licking our faces.
“We were there for around 10 minutes and then he left to go back to his room. We phoned around 6pm to check on him.
“Then my mum got a phone call from the vets at 2.25am saying he had taken a turn for the worse as his wounds were weeping. They had to put him under anaesthetic to see what was going on inside.
“Then she called back to say it was a mess in there, there was an infection even though he was on antibiotics. Because of previous surgeries there wasn’t enough muscle or skin to stitch him back up.
“When he was under anaesthetic they thought it would be best to let him slip away.”
Toni continued: “We are absolutely heartbroken. When we saw him on Saturday we thought it would be a few days till we brought him home.
“My mum had bought him loads of new toys for coming home.
“The nurses were all cuddling into him after and he had his cuddly sloth toy with him. He was only nine-months-old.
“It had taken us three years to get a dog after our old one.”
Ziggy will be cremated alongside his favourite cuddly toy and brought back home to Aberdeen.
A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with the incident and has since appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
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