Pets still being dumped during festive period

Despite the number of animals being dumped at Christmas being the lowest for five years, five pets were abandoned in Lancashire between Christmas Eve and January 7, the RSPCA said.
The bulldog that was dumped over Christmas.The bulldog that was dumped over Christmas.
The bulldog that was dumped over Christmas.

A total of 211 animals including chinchillas, cats and dogs, which were abandoned across the country during the same timeframe, had to be rescued by the RSPCA.

However, this was down by nearly 50% compared to the 419 animals rescued during the same period in 2010/11.

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Chief inspector Dermot Murphy said: “A drop in abandonments is an encouraging sign and hopefully it shows that pet owners across England and Wales are taking more responsibility for their animals, even when times might be tough or circumstances change.

“Hopefully those animals that needed our help in recent weeks will enjoy a more settled Christmas next time around.”

Among the abandoned animals rescued by the RSPCA was Bruno, a young American bulldog who was shivering, emaciated and hardly able to stand when he was found dumped in a field in Hyde on December 27. In Maidstone a ferret was left in a bin bag in a Christian bookshop on December 30 and on January 3, two chinchillas were found.