RESCUED – BUT HOW MANY MORE TO COME?
RSPCA FEARING WINTER CRISIS AS ANIMALS TAKEN INTO HOMES DURING LOCKDOWNS ABANDONED
RSPCA fears there will be winter welfare crisis for abandoned pets after five dogs were found wandering in a road at night.
Four of the animals were successfully rescued by members of the public. One was found to have suffered a nasty wound to her neck, which is now being treated.
They were all found at about 10pm on Monday in Bradgate Road, Newtown Linford, near Bradgate Park.
The charity fears a winter crisis, with a rise in abandonments as new pet owners struggle to care for animals they bought during the pandemic.
The RSPCA is urging the public to help it care for animals in need via a new fund-raising drive, Join The Christmas Rescue.
Inspector Helen Smith, who is investigating the Newtown Linford incident and appealing for help finding the fifth dog, said: “Locals were concerned that the dogs were all wandering loose and described them as looking bewildered.
“They managed to catch four of the dogs and took them to a vet.
“Unfortunately, a fifth dog – a small white terrier type – could not be captured.
“We urge people to keep an eye out for the little dog and to contact the dog warden or the RSPCA if they find him.”
She said the injured dog, a fiveyear-old female black and white border collie, had been found in a “very poor” condition and had a nasty injury to her neck.
She said: “The poor girl has a sore wound around her neck which appears to have been caused by a tight collar or a rope which has become embedded in her neck.
“She’s now having the wound treated.”
The other dogs – a tan and white female beagle, a short-haired tancoloured male terrier with a docked tail and a black and white poodleTHE type – are all now in RSPCA care.
Although the dogs are microchipped, they are not registered with databases. Helen said: “The microchips haven’t been traceable so they’re either out-of-date or are foreign chips, registered overseas.”
The RSPCA has seen abandonment levels rising and fears this fesdeep, tive season will be even more devastating for animals as pet ownership has soared, which could lead to even more now-unwanted pets being left out in the cold to fend for themselves while owners travel to visit family over the extended four-day holiday, or neglected due to stretched family budgets.
With 3,004 recorded abandoncross ment incidents in England and Wales last winter, the charity fears that rising abandonment rates will see many more facing a bleak future.
Helen said: “These four dogs were abandoned alone in the cold and dark, one with a serious injury that needed urgent veterinary treatment.
“I fear that this could be the beginning of the welfare crisis that we’ve been predicting after pet acquisition surged so dramatically during the pandemic.
“These four will be warm, dry, well-fed and well cared for now, but providing care for dogs in need like this costs money.”
Anyone with information about the fifth dog, where these dogs have come from or who is responsible for abandoning them should call the RSPCA appeal line: 0300 123 8018.
To Join The Christmas Rescue, visit: