Sight of those animals will stay with me forever, it was horrific.. I went home, cuddled my dog Oscar and cried for two hours
Animal welfare expert tells of harrowing case as she backs telethon supporting 5 charities
AFTER witnessing distressing cases of neglect and abuse, Scottish SPCA inspector Jade Cummings goes home for a good cry and to cuddle her dog Oscar.
The 31-year-old is on the front line of animal welfare and will feature in a new three-hour telethon tonight.
Help the Animals at Christmas is Channel 5’s, and the UK’s, first-ever TV event to raise funds for UK animal welfare charities such as the Scottish SPCA, the RSPCA, Blue Cross, The Donkey Sanctuary and Wildlife Aid Foundation.
Broadcasting live from Salford’s Media City with presenters including Gabby Roslin and Susan Calman, the telethon will include Channel 5 animal shows such as Ben Fogle’s New Lives in the Wild and Jo Brand’s Kitten Rescue.
It will also include hard-hitting stories about the reality of what officers like Jade have to deal with. She will tell viewers about Elaine Erskine, from Fenwick in Ayrshire, who left 30 dogs in such disgusting squalor and neglect that three were put down.
The sheriff who sentenced Erskine to 14 weeks in prison said it was the worst cruelty case he had ever seen. However, her sentence was reduced to 200 hours of community service earlier this month.
Jade, from Ayr, said: “After putting the three dogs to sleep, I went home and cried for two hours. I was able to go home and cuddle Oscar. If I’ve had a tough day, I can come in and cuddle him.
“Our job is tough. You’re faced with some horrible things but at least I get to alleviate the suffering animals face.
“If I have to put them to sleep, it’s not nice but you are helping them by stopping their suffering.”
Jade works out of a van in East
Ayrshire but filming for the Channel 5 show took place at the Scottish SPCA’s rehoming centre in Glasgow as that is where the 27 surviving dogs from Erskine’s bungalow were sent.
When Jade was first called to Erskine’s home in March, she had to put down a Jack Russell as “her flesh had been completely ripped from her back legs and her bones were sticking out”.
Worse was to follow. Two German Shepherds named Rosie and Arti, who had been kept in a small porch, were appallingly emaciated but still alive.
Jade said: “That will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was horrific.
“Rosie was unable to even lift her head and both dogs had open sores. They were extremely distressed, covered entirely in faeces and urine, and had mounds of faecal material and urine in a pool below and around them.”
Most animal lovers will be disgusted and angry at Erkine’s treatment of her dogs. She claimed she knew it was bad but realised she would be in trouble so kept quiet.
Jade said: “You have to switch off to get through some of the things we have to deal with. I have to remain 100 per cent professional. My first consideration is to alleviate the suffering of the animal or animals and help them but in the back of my mind, I want a conviction.”
The maximum sentence in Scotland for animal neglect is just six months.
The Scottish SPCA are a charity and don’t receive any Government or Lottery funding. They rely on public donations and, at Christmas, are at their busiest.
Jade said: “It’s true a puppy is for life, not just Christmas. A lot of rescue centres stop adoptions over the festive period for that reason.
“Christmas is still one of our busiest times. We get a lot of older dogs who are dumped on our doorstep to make room for a new puppy or kitten. It might be a cute gift but it’s a gift of responsibilty and financial cost for many years.
“The telethon will show not just the cute side of rehoming fluffy dogs and cats, it will show what we actually deal with. We can face terrible sights every day.
The programme will also feature the Scottish SPCA’s work in Stornoway and follow their special investigations unit into puppy farming.
Jade, who joined the charity three years ago, said: “Puppy farming is an easy way to make money.
“We’re used to the stories about farms in the middle of nowhere with 50 or 60 dogs churning out puppies. But we’re finding more and more bedroom breeding – people in an average house who have five or six family dogs and each have a litter. It’s cash in hand and easy money.”
After spending up to £2000, new owners often find puppies have health issues and haven’t been vaccinated.
The Scottish SPCA are trying to educate the public to always use a registered breeder and call them if they aren’t sure.
Jade has called for pet licences to be introduced. She said: “Owning an animal is a privilege not a right.”
She added: “The Children in Need telethon raised £50million this year in just one night. If we could raise a fraction of that, split between five charities, it would be so welcome.”
Help the Animals at Christmas will be live on Channel 5 from 8pm tonight. For more info, and to take part, go to channel5.com/helptheanimals
My first consideration is to alleviate animals’ suffering JADE CUMMINGS ON HER JOB WITH SCOTTISH SPCA