Horse walks in to a bar... weirdest RSPCA calls

A HORSE walks in to a pub... no it is not the first line of a joke, but one of a catalogue of weird callouts to the RSPCA in the last year.

The charity received a total of 1.1 million calls, which included bizarre cases where socks, slippers and even a child’s toy were mistaken for real animals.

The horse call reported a “shabby and unhappy” animal in a pub in Cheadle, Staffs, but by the time officers got there both horse and owner had vanished.

A woman in Coventry rang to say she was scared to approach a lizard in her house that turned out to be a stripy pink sock.

A “heron with a broken leg” in a Leeds garden was an ornament and sheep in distress were found to be white balloons tangled in brambles up a steep hill.

A dead horse reported in a field in Bradford turned out to be a discarded bathtub and a “cat under a wardrobe” that ignored bowls of food to entice it out was really a pair of slippers.

RSPCA assistant director Dermot Murphy said: “When working with animals you expect the unexpected but some calls are downright bizarre.

“And while it’s light relief the RSPCA is under pressure, facing more calls each year. We urge callers to stop and think before asking for help. We must prioritise the animals most in need.”