ANIMAL welfare officers vowed yesterday to hunt down the person who threw a Jack Russell terrier out of a car .

The one-year-old bitch had been put inside a bin liner before being thrown from the vehicle into an alley in Thomas Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough.

RSPCA inspector Gary Palmer urged members of the public to come forward if they know who abandoned the animal, on Tuesday evening.

"Residents on the street saw the car pull up and the bag being thrown out," he said. "The people who did this are absolute scum. There are places to take unwanted animals. To do this is sickening."

The terrier is being cared for at the RSPCA centre near Great Ayton, North Yorkshire.

Centre manager Debbie Adams said: "She's okay - a little bit on the timid side, but very responsive when you talk to her and pick her up. We've called her Ali because of where she was found.

"Her coat is very dirty and it's thinning a bit, so she's perhaps had a bout of fleas, but she doesn't seem to have been very badly treated. I don't think she's had that much contact with people and has probably not had much training. We're keen to see her re-homed."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the RSPCA on 08705 555999. Anyone who can offer the dog a home is asked to contact the centre on (01642) 724016.

Read more about the Animal Watch campaign here.