Woman finds terrified wet dog near river with anchor tied round its neck

There are few things quite as heinous and cruel as harming an innocent creature. The unfortunate reality is, however, that such acts of cruelty happen all over the world, on a daily basis.

But it's only when you see an animal - that has been intentionally harmed - with your own eyes that animal abuse becomes more than just an idea, a stat or a poignant story. Only then does it hit home just how much of an impact our actions can have on small, defenceless creatures.

Audra Petraškienė from Lithuania knows all too well how distressed dogs can become as a result of abuse. While driving down a quiet, uneventful part of town, near her home in Lithuania, she came across a dog that had just survived a vicious attempt on his life.

It was immediately clear to Petraškienė that the dog had just emerged from the river and that the 13lb anchor had intentionally been placed around his neck in a horrific attempt to drown him. Someone - for whatever reason - wanted the dog dead.

While this plan had evidently failed, there's no denying what a traumatic experience it must have been for the pooch.

"Apparently, somebody put a heavy metal item on his neck and dropped him in the river to drown," Petraškienė's daughter, Andra, told The Dodo. "The dog was scared and shaking from cold as well."

It is still not entirely clear how exactly the dog managed to survive the drowning attempt, but as Andra put it - "he’s a real fighter."

Petraškienė immediately took him home, removed the makeshift anchor around his neck and dried the shivering pooch before taking him to the vet.

Thankfully, he sustained no serious injuries, and Petraškienė took the dog to a local animal shelter.

She also posted a now-viral video  to Facebook of the exact moment she found the abused pup - which is how the shelter managed to reunite the dog with its owner.

"The owner seemed like a good person. I am sure that he loves the dog," Audra told Bored Panda.

Petraškienė also reported the incident to the police, in the hope that the perpetrator would be brought to justice.

According to the shelter, the incident appears to be an act of "revenge from a cruel neighbour".