Facebook post about injured dog in Tyneside uses old picture from Australia

A Facebook post claims an injured dog has been found in South Tyneside and requests help in returning the animal to its owners. 

The post reads: “Hi all, I’m desperately trying to find the owner of this sweet girl I picked up about half an hour ago along [sic] side road. Please help bump this post so she can be reunited with her parents. We are in Tynside [sic].”

The image attached to the post shows a small white dog with blood on its fur being held up by a woman. 

The same image and text has been posted by other Facebook accounts claiming the incident took place in other UK locations including Hertfordshire, Somerset and Essex.

A reverse image search shows the picture actually dates back to December 2019 and was taken in a suburb of  Melbourne, Australia, and so doesn’t legitimately show a dog injured in Tyneside or anywhere else in the UK. 

The original photo was posted to the Instagram account of celebrity blogger Annie Nolan. 

In an incident that was widely reported at the time, Ms Nolan saw the small white dog being attacked by a larger dog.. 

While attempting to separate the two animals, Ms Nolan was bitten on the hand and required medical treatment. The small dog received a puncture wound on its neck, but survived the attack after being treated by a vet. 

We’ve seen similar posts about injured dogs before, as well as multiple fake posts claiming that a newborn baby has been found nearby or that a serial killer is on the loose. 

They are often posted to multiple local buy-and-sell groups before being edited to advertise products or giveaways. 

Image courtesy of Lydia Torrey