A dog has been tied to a fence, covered in petrol and set on fire on a football field in Liverpool, England.
Passers-by heard the cries of the female Staffordshire bull terrier-cross in Kirkdale, and tried to help, but the animal had to be put to sleep.
The one-year-old dog had been missing for a few days, the RSPCA said.
RSPCA chief inspector Simon Small: "The fact that someone could do this to a living creature is beyond comprehension."
This dog suffered tremendously before she died. This was a deliberate act of extreme cruelty
Simon Small
The incident happened on Tuesday night on a sports pitch off Stanley Road.
"It doesn't get worse than what happened here," Mr Small said.
"I've never had to deal with an incident like this in my nine years with the society.
"This dog suffered tremendously before she died. This was a deliberate act of extreme cruelty of the type I hope never to see again."
The RSPCA is urging anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
"This was a cowardly and cruel attack on a defenceless animal whose suffering was immense," Mr Small said.
What kind of punishment do you think the person responsible for this should receive?
Passers-by heard the cries of the female Staffordshire bull terrier-cross in Kirkdale, and tried to help, but the animal had to be put to sleep.
The one-year-old dog had been missing for a few days, the RSPCA said.
RSPCA chief inspector Simon Small: "The fact that someone could do this to a living creature is beyond comprehension."
This dog suffered tremendously before she died. This was a deliberate act of extreme cruelty
Simon Small
The incident happened on Tuesday night on a sports pitch off Stanley Road.
"It doesn't get worse than what happened here," Mr Small said.
"I've never had to deal with an incident like this in my nine years with the society.
"This dog suffered tremendously before she died. This was a deliberate act of extreme cruelty of the type I hope never to see again."
The RSPCA is urging anyone with information about the attack to come forward.
"This was a cowardly and cruel attack on a defenceless animal whose suffering was immense," Mr Small said.
What kind of punishment do you think the person responsible for this should receive?
