The trustee of a welfare organisation believes a severely-injured animal it rescued could have been a victim of dog fighting in Bradford.

Members of Yorkshire Rose Dog Rescue were called to Rooley Lane, Bierley, to aid a lurcher which had serious injuries. The animal had a suspected broken leg and a raft of teeth marks and bites covering its body.

Kathy Hirst, secretary and trustee of the rescue group, fears the dog might have been used in a fight or as bait for a fight and then abandoned.

The lurcher is being cared for at a volunteer’s home after receiving veterinary treatment for its injuries, though is still in a serious condition.

Mrs Hirst is worried there could be organised dog-fighting in the Bradford area.

The RSPCA and police said they had not received any recent reports of incidents, but Mrs Hirst said the animal bore all the hallmarks of being used for the illegal activity.

“The dog would not have survived another night,” she said. “A woman who found it rang me to say somebody had seen another dog with similar injuries and the woman was worried about being on the edge of a dog fighting ring.

“I don’t know where all the hot spots are because it’s not something we’re big enough to get involved with and they are not nice people.

“The dog is still not out of the woods.

“If he had to have his leg off, he would have to be destroyed unfortunately – to be kind to him.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA said dog fighting was made illegal in the UK in 1835, but there had been an increase in the practice since 2000.

The organisation now believes there are “several hundred” people across the country involved in organising dog fights.

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