Updated - Police investigate possible animal cruelty

The police are investigating a possible case of animal cruelty after the discovery of a dead dog in Mgarr on the way to Ghajn Tuffieha this morning. The dog had a long leash and what could have been a U-shaped branding sign. A police spokesman said it was not clear if the dog had escaped its owner and been hit by a car, or whether it had actually been dragged by a car. The woman who discovered the dog, at about 8.30 a.m. said there was a trail of blood that was 100m long, indicating that the dog may have been dragged. She added that the U-shaped branding sign did not appear to be recent. The leash was tied around the dog's neck with a padlock.