A TERRIFIED terrier was tied to a gate and abandoned outside an animal centre in broad daylight when rescue staff were working just metres away.

The white Jack Russell terrier cross was left at the entrance of Danaher Animal Home, in Hedingham Road, Wethersfield.

Staff at the centre were shocked on Sunday morning when they discovered the owner had made the decision to dump the dog outside, rather than responsibly handing him over.

Animal centre manager, Deborah Satchell, said: “The little dog was tied to the gate in broad daylight.

He wasn’t there first thing when I arrived at work as I walk down the drive and unlock everything so he must have been abandoned between 8.30am and 9.30am.

“It’s just unbelievable that they couldn’t even be bothered to walk up the drive and hand him over to us in a responsible manner.

“I mean, we were literally just meters away and we would have helped.”

The wire-haired male is aged around two to three-years-old and had no microchip. He was wearing a red collar but had no ID tag.

Deborah added: “He was very scared and confused, unsurprisingly.

“He’s been plucked from his home and everything he knows and loves and just left tied to a gate.

“How people can turn their back on their pet is just unbelievable.”

Thankfully, the little terrier wasn’t injured and was in good condition, with staff naming him Terry.

Anyone with any information about where Terry came from, in case he has been taken rather than abandoned, should contact the RSPCA’s 24-hour cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.

If no one claims Terry, he will be rehomed by the centre.