Big rise in cruelty to dogs

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THE DECAYING body of a starved dog found chained by a radiator, a cat kicked to death for having muddy paws and a dog with a deep neck wound from a collar more than four inches smaller than its neck – this is just a tiny sample of the horrors confronted by RSPCA inspectors in 2007, many of which were revealed this week in new statistics which show that cruelty to dogs has increased by staggering 34 per cent.

Extreme neglect

“Dogs have always borne the brunt of cruelty – from violent outbursts to extreme neglect,” said the RSPCA’s chief officer of the inspectorate, Tim Wass
“But that’s what makes this year’s horrendous increase even more shocking: it’s a massive increase on an already high figure.”
But there are also some amazing tales of survival.
Thanks to vigilant members of the public, the RSPCA has been alerted to some appalling situations in time to rescue animals who have survived against all the odds.
These include a dog so thin its rescuers could not identify its breed and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier whose owners had cut its ears off. Both have been rehomed.
The statistics show:
• A 34 per cent increase in convictions for cruelty to dogs (1,197 in 2007).
• 15 per cent increase in convictions for cruelty to cats (277).
• 13 per cent increase in cruelty to horses.
•12 per cent increase in RSPCA cruelty investigations (137,245).
• 26 per cent increase in banning orders issued by the courts (861).
“These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society,” Mr Wass said.
“They’re bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off. Some animals are violently abused because they don’t meet their owners’ unrealistic expectations, like the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving.”
But the charity says the new Animal Welfare Act – which came into force during 2007 – has made it possible to take action before in situations where there are animal welfare concerns.
“Where animal welfare concerns have prompted us to give advice to an animal owner, that advice was followed and the problems resolved 92 per cent of the time, meaning that no further action was necessary,” Mr Wass said.
The rise in banning orders is an improvement on the previous year which had recorded a fall. The new Act means courts have to explain their reasons if they do not impose a ban and this may have contributed to the increase, the RSPCA believes.

Preventing cruelty

“The main reason we take people to court is to prevent cruelty being repeated,” Mr Wass said.
“It’s very reassuring to see the courts taking this seriously by issuing more and more banning orders which prevent those convicted of cruelty from keeping animals in future.”
This year, for the first time, the society has produced a county-by-county breakdown of the cruelty statistics. The worst for cruelty convictions is the West Midlands with 222, second is West Yorkshire with 122 and third Lancashire with 101.