'Breaks my heart': Pet owner slammed over dog's makeshift carrier

An image showing a dog laying inside a makeshift carrier attached to the back of a car has sparked outrage from people with serious concerns for the animal’s welfare.

A border collie was spotted inside a horizontally positioned rusted metal barrel attached to the rear of a Volkswagen Golf in Ross-on-Wye, England on February 25.

After a photo of the animal was shared to Facebook by anti-hunting group Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs, more than 1000 people expressed their worry for the animal, which appeared in low spirits inside the old drum.

Police in the area confirmed on Twitter the incident had been reported to them and was being investigated.

“We aware of an incident recently of a dog being transported dangerously and photographed in [UK supermarket] Morrisons Ross car park,” West Mercia Police said in their post.

“This is being dealt with by the relevant police force as the car is not from our area. Thank you.”

In the comments section of the anti-hunting Facebook group post, other photos of the same car and device were shared, with some people claiming they saw it up to six years ago.

One photo was apparently taken with the dog inside during summer, while another person claimed they saw it in August last year.

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“What sort of country are we living in and what sort of disgusting excuses for human beings are allowed to get away with this. Breaks my heart,” one person wrote.

“This is horrific, that poor dog must have been so scared by the fumes and noise,” another said.

The original poster added a later comment saying the vehicle was “thought to be a local farmer”, adding: “Please share to friends and groups in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.”

Many people feared if the dog continued to be transported in the old 40-gallon oil drum, it would be killed by the fumes from the car if not from a vehicle travelling from behind.

“The thought of that car being hit from behind is a nightmare,” one person wrote.

A spokesperson from West Mercia Police told news site Gloucester Shire Live it was not investigating due to the car not being registered in its jurisdiction.

“This case has not been registered with us as the car is not from this area. A follow-up request has been sent to Thames Valley or Hertfordshire Police,” they said.

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