A dog is lucky to be alive after being thrown from a moving vehicle at 50mph near the village of Yalding, Kent.
Local residents who witnessed the incident immediately rushed to help Freya the dog, who miraculously survived the impact.
Freya was rushed to the vet and underwent surgery for potential internal bleeding.
She looked as though she had suffered previous abuse and was just "skin and bones" when she was found, according to a local resident.
The RSPCA has since opened an investigation into the incident.
Resident Deborah Hollingdale said: "She gave me a little lick when she saw me, it broke my heart.
“The woman in the car behind saw an arm stick out of the driver's window and throw something out as they were going about 50mph.
"She thought it was a teddy bear at first, then she saw it was a dog which ran onto my drive.
"I found her, she wasn't making any noise. The first thing I noticed was that she looked starved.
"She was just skin and bones, you could see her hip bones poking through. Her fur was matted, she was covered in her own mess and she smelt terrible.
"It was clear she had been living in her own filth. Given the state she was in, I don't think she'd have lived much longer living in the conditions she was being kept.
“I’m so thankful she survived being thrown out of that van."
Inspector Kirsten Ormerod of the RSPCA said in a statement that Freya was "incredibly lucky to survive" the incident.
She explained: "We were contacted by a member of the public who reported seeing a black and tan, curly-haired dog being thrown out of the driver’s side of a flat-bed truck that was travelling at around 50mph.
“Freya was incredibly lucky to survive after being hurled from the moving vehicle at such a high speed and vets were incredibly concerned that she may have suffered internal bleeding so performed surgery immediately.
"She is being monitored closely and is being given pain relief and I am keeping everything crossed that she pulls through after experiencing such callous cruelty.
“Witnesses described her being thrown with such force that she landed on the opposite side of the road, and the vehicle didn’t stop or even slow down.
"We’re following up some lines of inquiry to try to trace the callous people who treated Freya like this.
"I’m really keen to hear from any other witnesses who saw what happened or has any additional information about the vehicle, the people who were travelling in the truck, or Freya herself.
"I’d urge anyone with information to contact our inspector appeal line, in the strictest of confidence, on 0300 123 8018."
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