DOGS are the most persecuted pet, new figures from the RSPCA show.

The animal charity has released its annual cruelty statistics which reveal almost 57 per cent of the 143,004 complaints investigated nationally in 2015 were about dogs, compared to just below 24 per cent about cats - the second most abused pet.

One of the most horrific cases committed against man’s best friend in Barnsley was against a dog found cowering under a car, matted and suffering from a large open wound on her neck.

The young female cream-coloured cockerpoo-type was spotted by a member of the public on Bradberry Balk Lane, Wombwell, in February last year.

The local dog warden was called out to her as a stray but contacted the RSPCA on seeing the dog. RSPCA inspector Keira Benham was shocked by what she saw.

Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle