Editor – As an animal lover I find it very distasteful that you would publish a photo of an animal in obvious distress, having impaled itself on a gate, especially in light of the fact that the animal had to be put to sleep due to the extent of the injuries. Should it have been a person that this had happened to, I doubt you would have published such a picture, so why expose a voiceless animal? May this poor animal rest in peace.

Feel free to publish my letter in a future edition.

RORY WILSON.

Editor’s comment – The decision to publish the photo was not taken lightly.

The front page carried a warning, informing readers about the photo on inside pages as well as a descriptive headline to detail the extend of the graphic image (WARNING: Graphic Image; Family finds dog impaled on fence, Page 2)

This photo was sent to the Editor on Boxing Day by the home owner who informed the NEWS he suspected the animal was injured in an attempt to escape fireworks. The NEWS was inundated with complaints about fireworks in the Bedfordview and Edenvale areas during the festive season.

We are the media. We are not the authorities in charge of managing the illegal use of fireworks.

It is, however, our responsibility to expose and report on the news, no matter how difficult.

We have empathy and applaud the reader who came forward and exposed what has happened to this animal when trying to escape from fireworks. Follow this link to read the article (Warning Graphic Image).