Hopefully Hank’s emotional scars will fade more each day
SSPCA needs your help caring for abused animals like him
Hamilton’s animal rescue and rehoming centre is appealing to animal lovers for support as it hits capacity.
The new Scottish SPCA campaign is a result of the welfare issues that have arisen from the pandemic and asks that animals aren’t allowed to suffer.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity has seen an increase in the number of calls to its helpline around unwanted animals.
The rise in demand for puppies has led to an increase in the number of raids and seizures of pups from low-welfare puppy farms and dealers.
This has resulted in a surge in the number of animals in Scottish SPCA animal rescue and rehoming centres and increased pressure on vital services.
Among the animals to arrive at the Lanarkshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre was Hank the bull lurcher, who had been used for badger baiting and had suffered horrific injuries.
The crime of badger baiting is where small dogs wearing a locator collar are sent in to setts to find badgers underground.
When the baiters who are above ground recognise the signs the dog has found a badger, they dig down to uncover the badger, before setting larger dogs – normally lurchers or bull breeds like Hank – on the badger and a fight ensues. Some baiters deliberately injure the badger first to give their dogs a better chance.
Chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Badger baiting is a truly abhorrent crime where there are no winners. The wild animal will almost always end up dead, but it’s not only wildlife that suffers. Sadly, we have had to euthanise dogs involved in badger baiting due to the severity of their injuries.
“We are dedicated to providing every animal with the best possible care, especially those like Hank who have been forced to engage in something as violent as badger baiting.
“Our expert teams are well equipped to rehabilitate an animal that has been through something as traumatic as Hank has.”
The committed staff at the Bothwell Road centre cared for and rehabilitated Hank until he was rehomed by Rosemary Brown, who had seen him on the Scottish SPCA website.
Rosemary said: “He had scarring on his face which I later found out was due to him being forced in to fighting badgers.
“I hate to think what he went through.
“We had our first meeting at the centre and he was very timid. He did come over and give us a sniff.
“He was scared but curious. It was like he wanted to come and greet us but was too afraid.
“Hank came home with us and he was still very nervous. At first, he wouldn’t come out of the conservatory, poor boy.
“But he has been very loving from day one. He adores being cuddled.
“We’ve had Hank over six months now and he is so much more carefree than when he first arrived home.
“Hank still has the physical scars from his former life but as he realises all we expect from him is to be loved and for him to love us, hopefully the emotional scars fade more every day.”
The Scottish SPCA receives no government funding and is entirely reliant on donations from the public.
To find out more about the #Dontletanimalssuffer campaign and becoming a member of the Scottish SPCA, visit www.scottishspca.org/ puppy.