SUSPECTS have been arrested over the death of a dog found in a Worcester canal with dumb-bells tied around its neck.

West Mercia Police arrested two men yesterday in connection with the death of the dog, whose body was found in the Worcester-Birmingham Canal near Blackpole Industrial Estate on Thursday, September 24.

The men, who were detained at separate city addresses between 8am and 9am, are being interviewed by RSPCA officers at South Worcestershire divisional police headquarters in Castle Street, Worcester.

Details of the find were published on the front page of your Worcester News on Saturday, September 26, along with a photo of the Staffordshire bull terrier’s body, which was dragged out of the canal by a British Waterways worker.

The grim discovery was made by dog walker Neil Parish as he walked along the towpath in Blackpole and noticed a dog’s hind quarters floating above the surface of the water.

When the male dog was removed from the water, dumbbells were found lashed to its collar which would have made escape impossible if it were alive.

It is not yet clear if the dog was alive or dead when it was thrown in the water, near bridge 18 of the canal.

Mr Parish of Chestnut Close, Fernhill Heath, near Worcester, said the discovery had hit him particularly hard as his own family has a black pet Staffordshire, called Blade.

He rang police and was transferred to the RSPCA, which is leading the case.

The story attracted a number of comments on worcesternews.co.uk, mainly from people who were angry and upset about the circumstances of the dog’s death.