ATHENS – A new law that provides up to 10 years in prison for extreme cases of animal cruelty isn't slowing incidents, the latest the killing of two stray puppies and injuries to another after they were attacked by an unknown assailant.

It happened in the town of Psatha in western Attica, the Megara Animal Welfare Association said, with the injured puppy said to be in critical condition and an autopsy by a veterinarian finding the other two died from internal bleeding.

The puppies were found by an association volunteer who said that another two with visible injuries had run away from an area where they had frequently been seen after their mother was mutilated by an unknown assailant and was abandoned in a nearby mountain area. 

More than 40 puppies from the dog were reportedly put up for adoption by the animal welfare association. The puppies were fed by a volunteer and a local resident, said Kathimerini.

The association asked a prosecutor and police to try to find the culprit, the cae the latest staining the country's already notorious reputation for animal abuse.