What was claimed
A picture shows an injured dog with no microchip that has been found in a local area.
Our verdict
The dog pictured in the post has not been found injured, but stepped in red hair dye.
This ‘injured dog’ has not been found in your area
31 August 2022
A Facebook post shared almost 10,000 times claims a missing dog has been found in Barnsley, showing what appears to be an image of a bloodied spaniel.
The post reads: “I’m desperately trying to find the owner of this sweet girl I picked up about half an hour ago along side road in Barnsley [sic] She has been taken to the vets but does not have a chip. Please help bump this post so she can be reunited with her owner asap.”
But the image included in the post shows a male spaniel called Pogo who featured in a 2021 article after covering his paws in red hair dye and frightening his owners.
What’s more, copycat posts claiming this dog has been found have been shared in groups for Norwich and Didcot, as well as towns in the US.
We’ve seen posts similar to this before, for example, multiple Facebook posts claiming that a newborn baby has been found nearby or that a serial killer is on the loose.
Image courtesy of Jana Shnipelson