BATH Cats and Dogs Home and the RSPCA are investigating a claim that a man was seen beating his Staffordshire Bull Terrier in Rudloe.

A dog-walker, who wants to remain anonymous, told the

Gazette & Herald how she saw the man allegedly beating the dog with his metal walking stick on Friday after he ran towards the woods on Leafy Lane.

“I took my two dogs out for a walk in the woods and one of them has never really seen snow before, so I got my camera out ready to photograph her,” the woman said.

“As we got to the entrance, I saw this man waiting and it looked as if he was waiting for me to pass so I told the girls to move on and turned round to let him know.

“His Staffordshire Bull Terrier ran forward to go into the woods and he shouted something like ‘Oi, get back here’ and he hit it with his metal walking stick once.

“I give my dogs a little nudge when I need them to move but this was different - this was a proper hit and the dog whimpered.

“I have never felt rage like it before in my life. I walked over to confront him about it - and I’ll admit I swore at him and took a picture of him, and when I told him he said ‘yeah, so what?”

The woman said she reported the incident to Bath Cats and Dogs Home, who then reported it to the RSPCA.

“I’ve never seen this man before and I have lived in Rudloe for most of my life, but apparently he lives here.”

A spokesman from Bath Cats and Dogs Home confirmed that they had received a report and were working with the RSPCA to investigate the claims.

They wouldn’t comment further on the case.

‘This was different - this was a proper hit and the dog whimpered’