RSPCA respond to 68 incidents of cruelty to dogs in Wiltshire

As part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, the RSPCA is releasing new data today that highlights how - despite being called ‘man’s best friend’ - dogs are the most likely pet to be abused by their owners.

Over four years (2016-2020), 63,881 incidents of intentional harm involving dogs were reported to the RSPCA’s cruelty line; that’s 34 a day or more than one every hour across England and Wales. In 2020, 7,691 reports of intentional harm against dogs were reported to the RSPCA and, over summer (June - August) in particular, the charity received 2,053 reports.

In the South West, the charity’s officers investigated 786 incidents of deliberate cruelty towards dogs in 2020, including 68 in Wiltshire.

● Bristol - 54

● Somerset - 136

● Devon - 184

● Cornwall - 78

● Dorset - 80

● Wiltshire - 68

● Gloucestershire - 99

● Worcestershire - 62

● Herefordshire - 25

The campaign aims to raise funds to keep its rescue teams on the frontline saving animals in need of help, as well as to raise awareness about how people can all work together to stamp out cruelty for good.

Cases investigated over the last four years include:

● XL bully Dora (pictured) and her littermates were just a few months old when they were rescued from Bristol; their ears had been hacked off so they could be sold on for more money with the desired - but illegal - cropped look;

● Rottweiler Lulu was heard on audio recordings whimpering and screaming as her owner, from Bristol, attacked her, shouting: “I’ll f*cking ave you”;

● Terrier Darby (pictured) was caught on CCTV being dropped to the ground and kicked by his owner (Somerset);

● Audio recordings picked up 36 hits, punches and slaps as Hugo was beaten and scolded by his owner, who said: ‘Are you crying now?’, ‘Don’t cower when you’re told off’ (Devon);

● Staffie Rocco lost a leg after suffering at the hands of his owner and vets found he had multiple cuts, a dislocated femur, swelling, two large head wounds, a fractured tooth, three fractured ribs, and a fracture to the right hock (Devon).

The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty. But the charity sees a rise in the summer by around 400 calls, on average, per month, which equates to 47 calls every day or two every hour.

The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty

To donate to the Cancel Out Cruelty campaign visit www.rspca.org.uk/stopcruelty.