An Athens man has been arrested for badly mauling at least two stray dogs in separate attacks in a western suburb, police said yesterday.

The 35-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, was picked up by police on Thursday in Aghia Varvara after allegedly attempting to behead a dog with an axe.

The suspect had found the stray in a park, and allegedly attempted to incapacitate the animal by stuffing its head in a nylon bag before taking an axe to it.

He was stopped by a municipal street cleaner, who alerted the police.

The man is also suspected of having seriously injured another dog on Tuesday by hitting it over the head with an iron bar, and shutting it in a dumpster.

A group of passing schoolchildren who rescued the animal said the man had fled the scene in his car, but were able to provide police with the vehicle’s license number.

Hundreds of stray dogs and cats fall victim to poison attacks and passing cars every year. Casualties in Athens were particularly high last year, ahead of the Olympic Games. (AFP, Kathimerini)