Darlington dog dumped in crate 200 miles away in Dudley

The animal was washed for about four hours as he was found covered in his own waste

A dog has been found abandoned inside a crate in a car park 180 miles (290km) from its registered home.

Andrea Cain said she was "heartbroken" to find the pet behind her café in Kingswinford, Dudley, on Wednesday.

It is thought the dog, called Coco and believed to be a Shi Tzu, may have been stolen as his microchip is linked to an address in Darlington.

He is now being cared for by dog groomer Stacy Valentine, while attempts are made to trace his original owner.

"It is heart-breaking", said Ms Cain, who runs The Backyard café in Charterfield Drive.

Head chef George Hughes first spotted the crate in the car park just after 13:00 BST.

The dog was found dumped in a car park inside a crate along with a bag of cold beans

Ms Cain then raced outside to find the worn and dirty box which had been left in a parking space as people drove past.

Inside she found the forlorn-looking dog, along with a cold bag of beans.

"I just started to cry. The dog was that quiet, he didn't bark and didn't move," she said.

"I thought 'how could somebody be so cruel?'.

"Someone could have gone in and reversed and thought it was an empty crate and squished him."

After taking the "timid" dog into her café, she found his matted fur was covered in his own waste.

"You couldn't work out how big he was, he couldn't see out of one of his eyes.

"He smelt really bad and we were just trying to make him feel a bit more comfortable."

The dog's microchip is linked to an owner in Darlington

Coco was then taken to a nearby grooming salon, Dazzling Dogs, where staff offered to bathe him.

Ms Valentine, who owns the salon and is a former RSPCA veterinary nurse, said the matts were "double" his weight and prevented him from walking.

"It looked like he'd been left in the crate for a long time, his skin was red and sore, probably from urine burns," she said.

Coco needed three baths and a full groom, taking about four hours, before he was given a check-up at Harrison Family Vet.

A microchip scan revealed he was registered to an owner in Darlington, but the contact details were out of date.

Ms Valentine said there was a possibility Coco may have been used for breeding and then dumped.

Stacy Valentine is looking after Coco while attempts are made to find his owner

She has since launched an appeal to track down his original owner.

"He's got a new lease of life, he's staying with me until hopefully, if he has been stolen, he is reunited with his rightful owners.

"Otherwise we will look for a foster home, which I think may already have, with a vet nurse who I used to work with."

The RSPCA said it was dealing with a "huge rise" in the number of abandoned animals this year, with 2,031 instances reported to the charity in July.

It urged anyone struggling to cover veterinary bills to contact the charity for advice.