Television first as force appeals for dog killers
A pet dog that was strangled and dumped in a canal has become the first canine killing to be featured on BBCs iconic Crimewatch show.
A pet dog that was strangled and dumped in a canal has become the first canine killing to be featured on BBCs iconic Crimewatch show.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) urged viewers to call in with information about those responsible for snatching and then torturing two-year-old rare breed family pet Troya.
Police Constable Joseph Torkington also appeared on the programme, and described the killing as “horrific”.
Troya was taken from her heated kennel in owner Anthony Taylors garden in Romiley, Stockport, early on Christmas Eve last year.
Mr Taylor, 34, believes the 8st Presa Canario, bought in Tenerife, was drugged before being stolen, possibly by a local annoyed at her barking.
She was found three weeks later with an Aldi bag tied around her head, secured round her neck with a length of curtain wire. Her body was discovered floating in a canal in Romiley.
Her death is being investigated by both the GMP and the RSPCA and more than £2,000 is been offered to help find her killer.
After the animals death, a Facebook page dedicated to the investigation was set up, which has garnered more than 13,000 supporters.
Hazel Grove MP William Wragg joined the campaign and sent a letter to Stockport division Superintendent Joanne Rogerson urging the force to work with the RSPCA to catch the killers in a case that had rocked the community.
Well-wishers raised money for a private autopsy that revealed the dog had been hanged and strangled.
The social media campaign lobbying Crimewatch`s spin-off show Crimewatch Roadshow led to the programme launching the appeal on Friday (June 17) which included a reconstruction of the theft.
The dogs owner described the animal as his “best friend”, adding: “Everybody loved Troya, everybody. She was part of the family.”