Heartless burglars who stabbed a tiny chihuahua pup with a pitchfork as it tried to defend its owners’ home are being hunted by police in Mexico.

Pup Pincky’s horrified owners – who had been out – found their beloved pooch impaled on the prongs when they returned to the house in Compostela.

Gruesome photos show how the fork’s spikes passed straight through the miniature mutt’s tiny body.

But astonishingly, plucky Pincky survived after his owners rushed him to their local vet, ‘Pet Shop’.

Manager Jose Luis Davalos told local media: “The dog had three wounds.

“The tool had passed through one of his legs. Another of the sharp points had passed through his back to one of his testicles and his abdomen.

“But his vital organs were not compromised.”

He added: “He was in surgery for two and a half hours.

“The most complicated part was getting the animal out without compromising his life.”

Rust and dirt on the garden fork put little Pincky at even greater risk from infection, Davalos told local media.

He also had a temperature and the beginning of organ failure.

But the op was carried out without hitch, and little Pincky was kept in the veterinary clinic for more than a week under observation.

He has since been discharged and returned to his family, who had visited him every day during his time in the clinic.

The family has since filed a police report against Pincky’s attackers.

Under local law, acts of animal abuse can earn perpetrators six months to five years in prison, as well as fines.