Dogs being killed, poisoned, beaten and mutilated on massive scale, says RSPCA

Cost-of-living crisis and pandemic created animal welfare crisis, says charity as cruelty cases climb 20% in a year

Dogs are being killed, poisoned, beaten and mutilated on a “massive scale” – and attacks are rising, the RSPCA says.

Cases of deliberate harm to dogs, including improper and attempted killings, have increased by more than a quarter – 27 per cent – in three years, which the charity thinks could be down to financial strains on owners.

Last year, the RSPCA received 9,776 reports of dog cruelty in England, compared with 8,176 in 2021 and 7,691 in 2020.

The skinniest dog a rescuer had ever seen was found barely alive in South Yorkshire (RSPCA)

The number equates to 27 dogs a day being cruelly treated – more than one every hour – and a rise of nearly 20 per cent.

Dermot Murphy, head of the RSPCA’s rescue officers, said: “Right now, animal cruelty is happening in England and Wales on a massive scale and rising.

“It’s heartbreaking that we are seeing such sad figures, which show animal cruelty is on the rise.

“While we don’t know for certain why there has been an increase, the cost of living crisis and the post-pandemic world have created an animal welfare crisis.”

Overall, 42,690 reports were made last year to the charity about dogs – including intentional harm, neglect and abandonments – a seven per cent increase in a year.

The whippet puppy was beaten to near-death (RSPCA)

Beatings of animals accounted for more than three in four cruelty complaints, rising by 22 per cent to 9,658.

Such reports peaked last August, when 1,081 were received – an average of 35 a day – in line with a pattern of cruelty regularly increasing in summer.

In 2021, a puppy called Terry was left with life-threatening head injuries after his then-owner beat him until he collapsed, lifeless.

A member of the public rushed the whippet to Hull PDSA pet hospital, where staff believed he was already dead until they noticed light breathing and saved his life.

Vet nurse Rachel Coombes, who helped in the emergency treatment and eventually adopted the puppy, said: “I just felt a connection as soon as he was brought in as he was in such a state we actually thought initially he hadn’t made it.

A German shepherd was dumped in a Birmingham industrial park. Such cases count as abandonment, not deliberate harm (RSPCA)

“Then when we spotted gentle breathing, I said, ‘If he survives this I am going to give him a home’, which is exactly what I did.”

Mr Murphy said: “Dogs are the most abused animal in this country and we investigate more complaints about them than any other type of animal.”

The skinniest dog a rescuer had ever seen in his 16-year career with the RSPCA was found barely alive dumped in a street in South Yorkshire.

The animal had lost 98 per cent of its fur due to an untreated skin condition and had a broken tailbone so badly infected that part of it had rotted off.

Before being rescued, the greyhound/lurcher cross was so weak it could barely move.

Two cockapoo puppies were dumped at a roadside in Ipswich (RSPCA)

RSPCA figures also show the number of animals killed in “suspicious circumstances” climbed by 15 per cent in 12 months, to 891 last year.

Last month, the charity revealed cat cruelty rose by 25 per cent last year, leaving five cats a day suffering at the hands of humans.

Reports to the charity about intentional harm to cats reached 1,726 – up from 1,387 in 2021.

Sam Gaines, head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department, said: “In many cases, these pets have been injured deliberately by their owners, the very people who are supposed to love and protect them.

“But cats are also more vulnerable as they tend to be out and about on their own, which can leave them vulnerable to airgun attacks and other forms of cruelty by complete strangers.”

The charity’s Cancel Out Cruelty campaign raises funds for rescue teams.