The dog’s owners had sold him on Gumtree. The Scottish SPCA said the case “highlights the potential consequences of selling an animal online”.

The Scottish SPCA posted this picture to its Facebook page this afternoon.

The charity said the dog was found on Friday evening tied to railings at Ayr railway station along with a suitcase full of his belongings, which included a pillow, a toy, a food bowl, and food.

Facebook: scottishspca

The charity added: "The 2–3-year-old Shar-Pei cross is microchipped and we were able to find out his name is Kai."

Scottish SPCA / Via itv.com

The dog is microchipped and we were able to find out his name is Kai.

We contacted the owner registered to the microchip, who stated they had sold Kai on Gumtree in 2013. Unfortunately they could not tell us the address of the person who bought him.

This case highlights the potential consequences of selling an animal online as it often leads to the impulse buying of pets that people know very little about.

Regardless of the fact Kai was left with his belongings, this was still a cruel incident and we are keen to identify the person responsible. If anyone can help we would ask them to get in touch as soon as possible.

Kai is around two to three years old and is a lovely dog with a nice nature. We will look after him until we can find him a permanent and loving home.