Animal rights activists come to the rescue after brutal dog killing

RAWANDUZ, Kurdistan Region — Animal rights activists in Rawanduz have come to the rescue after the brutal murder of a dog and her puppies. 

The dog was tied up and killed last week in the district northeast of Erbil. Two of her puppies were found beheaded, with another two dying of hunger. 

The perpetrators have yet to be found but authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. 

Local activist and photographer Sabr Dri helped the remaining four puppies, who he said were starving. 

"The dog’s legs were tied together and her belly cut open with no mercy. The puppies were so hungry that they ate her flesh. They were so hungry," he told Rudaw's Bakhtiyar Qadir. 

"We don’t have any shelters for these dogs in Soran. We don’t have any animal rights organizations to follow up this case, or many others, so we can file a lawsuit against the perpetrators," said animal rights activist Sabri Hussein. 

Mohammed Khdir spent the night collecting the puppies, and visits them every day with fresh food. 

"We were picking up the puppies until 12 am and then we took them away. I have now brought them to an empty house here. I visit them and bring them food every day," he said. 

Stray dogs are often considered a danger and a public health issue in the Kurdistan Region

They are often shooed away, beaten, hit with sticks and killed by cars. 

Many people are afraid of them, or fear they carry diseases.

Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed