Animal cruelty complaints on the rise in Cheshire

2017 figures released by RSPCA show that 8 new cases are being dealt with daily.

The charity investigated nearly three thousand complaints in 2017, slightly more than the previous year.

Nationally, 141,760 complaints about animal welfare were looked at by RSPCA inspectors.

Examples of some of the cases dealt with locally include:

• Two severely emaciated Staffordshire terrier-type breeds were found living in conditions describes as "atrocious".
• A dog needed reconstructive surgery on his jaw after he was found with severe injuries consistent with badger baiting.

The majority of calls received related to dogs, followed by cats and then horses. One of the increasing issues faced by local inspectors is the demand for "designer" dogs, which animal smugglers are exploiting by illegally importing puppies through local ports before selling them on to unsuspecting buyers. 

There are also still many cases of people in the county buying pets and then not caring for them properly because they underestimate how much time and money they require.

Brett Witchalls, the RSPCA's Chief Inspector for Cheshire, told us that residents need to sit down and think carefully about the responsibilities involved, before buying a pet of any kind: "If people do get animals they do need to give some thought about whether they can actually look after those animals, and have the resources and knowledge to care for them."