Sickening cases that have seen pet cruelty rates rise

The Scottish SPCA said 2009 had been the worst year in recent memory for animal cruelty, with 14,019 pets abandoned or abused by their owners.

The figure is up nearly 12 per cent on the total for the ­previous year total, when the charity’s ­rescue centres cared for 12,545 neglected animals.

Inspectors warned that the level of cruelty uncovered has been “harrowing,” with animals burned, stabbed, shot and left to starve to death.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said the increase in workload for staff at  the charity was partly due to more cases being reported to them.

But he added: “What is shocking, even to us, is the nature of recent attacks against animals. “Our inspectors and ambulance drivers have had to deal with some of the most sickening and harrowing scenes that you can imagine.

“Taking all of this into account, it is fair to say that 2009 was the worst year in recent memory for animal cruelty.”

Mr Flynn said the majority of pet owners took great care of their animals, but he described some of the cruelty cases the Scottish SPCA had tackled as “horrific”.

More cruelty cases were dealt with in court last year, with a total of 129, compared to 114 during 2008.

Reports from members of the public to the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline also rose by 16 per cent last year, with 146,000 calls received.

This follows a year-on-year increase in calls for the past six years. Mr Flynn said: “One case that 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.

“Her owner was prosecuted and banned from keeping animals and the Staffordshire terrier was successfully re-homed.

“However, there are times when we don’t get the information we need to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Among the unsolved cases that the Scottish SPCA’s officers are still pursuing is that of a dog which took two weeks to die after being left tied to a fence to starve to death.

The emaciated female bull mastiff, which was discovered near Brechin, Angus in March, had eaten soil and fragments of wood in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.

Despite the Scottish SPCA issuing an appeal to help track down the owner, no one has yet been traced.

In another horrific incident a month later, a dog was dumped dead in a field with burns over its face and body.

In Fife, a newborn foal suffered a “mindless attack” when it was slashed across the neck, leaving a deep, 8in wound.

The charity said it also had to deal with a constant stream of cases of neglect, where owners do not feed their animals or fail to take them to a vet when they are sick.

Scottish SPCA inspectors and ambulance drivers attended more than 42,500 incidents and rescues, a rise of more than 4,000 since 2008.