The RSPCA rescued a staggering 80 dogs from just one house in Bedfordshire after a routine door knock resulted in one of the biggest animal rescues the officer had ever faced.
The animal welfare charity was called to a property in the county after reports suggested there were potentially 20 dogs at the location in April.
The owner told officers when they arrived they believed there were about 40 dogs inside the home however the final count resulted in 80 dogs and one cat – including Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and crosses – being removed, and many of them were pregnant. All had come from two dogs who had not been neutered and breeding became out of control.
The owner, who cannot be identified, had become overwhelmed by the numbers but was worried to ask for help. The RSPCA worked closely with them, they were grateful and agreed it would be better for the dogs to go into the charity’s care where new homes could be found for them.
The story is being highlighted as part of the RSPCA’s annual Adoptober rehoming drive which runs throughout October.
Sadly the charity is facing a rehoming crisis with record numbers of rescued dogs in care across RSPCA national animal centres and branches.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ellie Barnes-Wilson and her colleagues were able to work with the owner to remove the dogs over a span of five days and take them to a place of safety at RSPCA rehoming centres and other charities including Battersea, The National Animal Welfare Trust and the Blue Cross.
Although the dogs were well-loved – it was impossible with such large numbers for the owner to provide for their welfare.
All the dogs were crammed into just three small rooms, which were dark, humid and full of ammonia and mess.
Ellie said: “The conditions the dogs were in were extremely concerning – the rooms were dark and humid. I struggled to breathe in these rooms. Our eyes would burn so much we couldn’t open them.”
“Almost all the dogs were visibly suffering from ammonia burns to the front of their eyes which were cloudy – that’s how powerful it was.
“There were just dogs everywhere – I had found multiple week-old puppies in boxes and there were others in drawers.
“This person did appear to love their dogs but they didn’t ask for help when it first started to get out of control. This is when welfare standards also then declined.
“What is really frightening is that this situation came from only two dogs – and a failure to get dogs neutered – so they had an accidental litter and the over breeding just continued and continued.
“People may judge this situation negatively – however this is not intentional cruelty – this is a person who became overwhelmed and didn’t know how to ask for help. Colleagues had been trying to attend the property but were never granted access. We did not know what was going on behind closed doors until we were allowed inside.
“We didn’t just help the dogs, we also helped the people- as they were able to start to rebuild their life again with help from other agencies.
“When we finally removed the last dog, you could see the relief on the owner’s face.”
Many of the dogs went to RSPCA centres and branches across the country including RSPCA Block Fen, RSPCA Southridge, RSPCA West Norfolk, RSPCA Danher Animal Home, and Hillingdon, Slough, Windsor, Kingston & District Branch.
Many needed treatment for the burns on their eyes. Lots of them were not used to being handled, and they needed to learn to walk on leads. Almost all had never experienced being outside and initially this was very daunting for them.
