A dog owner who buried his mastiff alive in France should get the maximum possible sentence for animal cruelty, according to thousands of animal lovers who signed a petition this week to voice their disgust, reports FRANCE 24.
Pictures of French Mastiff Athéna buried up to her head in waste ground caused a social media frenzy after a dog walker, who spotted the distressed animal, posted images on his Facebook account.
"Only her head was visible and it was difficult to see given the amount of earth covering her," Pedro Dinis wrote. “If these pictures seem shocking, the reality was much worse.”
Mr Dinis called the emergency services and set about freeing the buried dog, whose lead had been attached to a sack of gravel to prevent her from breaking free.
Police in Carrières-sur-Seine, west of Paris, said the “shocked and dehydrated dog” was taken immediately to a nearby vet, while her 21-year-old owner was quickly traced and arrested.