MANCHESTER, NH (CBS) – Police in Manchester are investigating a horrible case of animal abuse. A small dog was discovered impaled and burned on a wooded trail near a complex of Little League fields.

“I came across what I thought was a stump,” said Francis Smith, who was walking his dog on the path this morning. “I thought someone just lit a fire in the middle of the path. After looking closer at it, It realized it was a little puppy.” He called 911.

Police later figured out it wasn’t a puppy, but an older small breed. They say it was either a Chihuahua or a Pomeranian that had been stabbed with a small stick.

A charred spot on the ground remained as children gathered for baseball hours later. “I was absolutely disgusted that my kids are running around here,” said Casey Level. “That is quite disturbing,” added Shawn Wilson, who was there with his children.

Neighbors on the other side of the path were also troubled by the news. “It takes a sick person to do something like that,” said Mary Godzyk, who said she did not hear anything overnight. Police say the dog was left there sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.