A West Highland terrier

Thieves broke into the house on Bourlan Road, turned on all four rings of the cooker in the kitchen, then placed the dog on top.

The owner, Robert Stewart, returned home at about 2330 BST on Thursday to find his nine-year-old West Highland terrier, Rockie, cowering in the corner badly burned.

He said he was angry and disgusted at the treatment of his dog.

This is just another in a long line of sickening attacks this year on defenceless animals Stephen Philpott USPCA

"The burns were bad enough, there's actually one on his right leg, where you can see the mark of a hob, the ring of a cooker where they've put him unto it.

"I don't care two fiddlers about the house but to see the dog... anybody does that, they are just animals themselves."

The thieves escaped with a small amount of cash.

The dog has been treated by a vet and its injuries are not life threatening.

Police have appealed for anybody with information to contact them.

Stephen Philpott of the animal welfare charity, the USPCA, said the attack was particularly vicious.

"This is just another in a long line of sickening attacks this year on defenceless animals," he said.

"What makes this one even more concerning to the USPCA is that it seems to have been completely premeditated.

"You can't turn on a cooker ring by accident, and the dog certainly wouldn't be able to get onto the cooker ring unless someone did it."