Four youths who tormented their pet dog by cutting off its tail, believing that it would become more agile without one, were arrested by the police on Tuesday.
The animal was handed over to the Blue Cross of India for treatment and care.
SRMC police said the suspects were Hari (20), Somu (25), Ashok (23) and Pechimuthu (23), all natives of Tirunelveli who are employed at a restaurant in Iyyappanthangal.
The four live at a rented house in Gajalakshmi Nagar in Iyyappanthangal and had adopted a street dog recently.
“Hari and Somu believed that the little dog would be more active if its tail was sliced off. And so, the four youths decided to cut off the tail, and did this at their house on Monday. They did not use any anaesthetic on the dog. The animal cried in pain throughout the day as the tail was bleeding,” said an investigating officer with the SRMC police.
A neighbour noticed that the dog was in intense pain and misery, and she called the Blue Cross of India and complained. Dawn Williams, general manager of Blue Cross, then visited the house to check on the condition of the animal and later lodged a complaint with the SRMC police.
The four youngsters were released on bail by a city court later on Tuesday, an officer said.
