The Scottish SPCA has said calls to its animal helpline rose by 16% last year as it dealt with a string of “sickening and harrowing” cases. Chief Superintendent, Mike Flynn, described it as the “worst year in recent memory”, highlighting a dog being shot in the head in Glasgow and another left to starve to death in Brechin as being among the most serious cases. In other incidents, a dog was found burned to death in Peebles near Edinburgh, and a newborn foal was slashed in Fife.

“While our workload has increased, we believe that this is due in part to people being more aware of who we are and how we can help,” said Mr Flynn. “What is shocking though, even to us, is the nature of recent attacks against animals.

He emphasised that the majority of pet owners in Scotland took great care of their animals but some of the cruelty cases were “horrific”.

“One case which stands out from last year was a wee Staffie dog we rescued that was so gentle and loving despite having survived being shot in the head 13 times with an airgun by her drunken owner in Glasgow,” he said. “Her owner was prosecuted and banned from keeping animals and she was successfully rehomed. However, there are times when we don’t get the information we need to bring the perpetrators to justice.” He added that nobody had yet been traced after a dog was “cruelly tied up and left to starve to death in woods in Brechin”.

However, he said the Scottish SPCA would “work tirelessly” to tackle problems when they arose and also educate people that animals should be treated with “compassion and respect”, something AWEN also aim to echo in its future work.

If you would like to find out more of the work that the Scottish SPCA do, including ways to volunteer and donate, please visit their website here:
Source: BBC News

Anna Claxton