West Yorkshire named animal cruelty hotspot
West Yorkshire has been named and shamed as an Animal Cruelty hotspot.
West Yorkshire has been named and shamed as an Animal Cruelty hotspot.
Figures released by the RSPCA show 7,694 cases were dealt with last year – the highest number outside of London.
Almost 57% of complaints investigated related to dogs.
In one case - A dog breeder and her husband kept 14 Irish setters in the ‘worst conditions ever seen’ by RSPCA inspector Emma Ellis.
Twelve of the dogs were discovered in squalid puppy cages in a garden shed - three to a cage. The front of the shed was barricaded shut with wooden pallets and posts.
The dogs all appeared to be fully grown adults, crammed into the cages with no room to move and there was no food, water or bedding available.
Dermot Murphy, Assistant Director for the RSPCA Inspectorate, said: “These stories show a snapshot of the horrific level of cruelty we have seen in the last year, which have to be some the most extreme cases I have ever heard of.
“People think of dogs as man’s best friend but these statistics tell a different story. They are by far the most abused animal in this country and we investigate more complaints related to them than any other species.”