Devastated dog leads group to where his canine friend had been hanged to death by sadists in remote woodland

A pit bull in mourning led local shelter workers in Kentucky to a dog who had been hanged in a wood not far from their shelter.

Earlier this month, managers at the Floyd County Animal Shelter noticed that someone had dumped spoiled meat on a trail behind their business, which is often used by volunteers to walk the dogs at the shelter.

Elexis Craft and Allison Cobern, who manage the facility, reported the littering to the county - Prestonburg - because they did not want any of their shelter dogs to eat it.

But, when they returned to see if the rotten meat had been removed, they found something much worse.

They realized something had been eating parts of the spoiled food and soon found a stray pit bull on the trail.

Animal shelter workers in Eastern Kentucky found a pit bull on a nearby trail beckoning them down a path to a horrifying site

The poor pup led the shelter workers to his friend, who'd been dead for days after being tied tightly around a tree

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The abandoned dog appeared to be jumpy and kept attempting to guide the shelter managers down the path.

'You could tell that something was really bothering him, and he just kept barking at us and walking towards us and then running. So me and Lexi said, "Well, let’s just look around,"' Cobern told Eastern Kentucky's WYMT.

The dog immediately guided the pair to a nearby ditch, where they encountered a horrifying site: another pit bull who appeared to be tied to a tree by its neck with no slack on the rope.

Craft said the dog had been left a a spot 'where they wanted us to never find it.'

'As soon as I seen it, I could just not stop saying, like, "Oh my God. Oh my God." Like, it did not feel real to me to see him hanging there,' she said.

The women both moved toward the animal, only to realize it was dead and seemingly had been for some time.

'We both stood there for a couple of minutes, just in complete shock. Seeing him and just the condition he was in, I mean, it was one of the most horrific sights I have ever seen,' said Craft.

The dog's face was 'bashed up,' said Cobern. 'Maybe they beat him. We don’t know. There’s claw marks in the tree where he tried his best to just be able to breathe just to live a little bit longer,' she said, tearing up.

The first dog, whom the shelter has given the name Ludwik, was eventually led away from his pal, whom the shelter is now calling Nakusha.

After alerting authorities, Elexis and Allison removed the body themselves, because they hated the idea of leaving him there any longer.

The shelter spread the word about what had happened on their social media accounts, hoping to gain some information about what might've happened and who is responsible for Nakusha's death.

Craft and Cobern say their post immediately began gaining traction and has led to many donations coming in to assist with vet bills for Ludwik.

An anonymous donor also paid for the cost of cremating Nakusha, whose remains will be placed in a small urn that can be attached to Ludwik's collar so the pair can continue to be together.

The pit bull, who has since been named Ludwik and adopted, wouldn't leave the side of his friend, who had been in a state of decomposition for several days by the time the shelter workers got to him

The Floyd County Animal Shelter is seeking justice for the other dog - who they've decided to call Nakusha - they're asking anyone with potentially helpful information to give them a call

The shelter is still looking for answers about what happened to Nakusha - but Ludwik, they report, has already been adopted into a forever home.

'We just want to make sure that those animals in the future are taken care of. And that’s all we’re here for, is just to try to battle the abuse for animals in Floyd County, because it is absolutely horrific,' said Craft.

The organization is still asking the public for any information they might have that could lead them to the individual or individuals responsible for Nakusha's horrific passing and Ludwik's abandonment.

Over the weekend, the shelter hosted a successful fundraiser in honor of Nakusha, and some donors have also sent money to use as a reward for the person who leads local authorities to the responsible party.

Craft said said: 'Even if you’re not sure it would help, it may help. We’ll take any information you have.'