A brick was found inside the bag (Picture: MEN)
Ten dogs, including eight puppies, have been found dead in a Sports Direct bag found in a Yorkshire canal.
The dogs were pulled out from the River Aire, by Holts Crest Way, Leeds, after someone spotted the carrier bag on May 20.
Two adult French bulldogs, six French bulldog puppies and two terrier puppies were found.
Inside the bag by the sports product retailer was a red brick, with animal welfare official believing the dogs were drowned as they appeared healthy.
Animal welfare charity RSPCA said a near identical incident happened last August where a family of French bulldogs were hauled up from the canal inside a Sports Direct bag.
No one was ever found responsible for the drowning, animal rescue officer Hannah Williams said.
Animal welfare workers say the incident is near-identical to another case last year (Picture: LeedsLive/MEN)
‘It is very suspicious that two identical incidents have occurred in the same area, both families of French bulldogs and both in Sports Direct bags,’ she said.
‘It seems highly likely that these are linked.
‘It’s awful to think what these poor dogs went through and I’m keen to piece together what happened leading up to finding them.
‘They didn’t appear to be in ill health which makes us, very sadly, believe they could have been intentionally drowned.
‘This would be an awful act of animal cruelty and we are urging anyone who has any information about this possibility to get in touch with us so we can find out what happened to these poor dogs.
‘If anyone has any information at all which can help us, please do get in touch.’
Hannah urged Leeds locals and business owners to check their CCTV tapes to see if they saw anyone carrying a Sports Direct bag close to the River Aire on May 20.
Anyone with information should call the RSPCA’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018, quoting reference 1268568.
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