Matted dog tied up and left in layby in Harborough district

A badly matted dog was found left tied up in a layby on the same day two adult cats and three kittens were found dumped in a field.
The dog shortly after it was rescued, covered in matted fur.The dog shortly after it was rescued, covered in matted fur.
The dog shortly after it was rescued, covered in matted fur.

Both incidents happened on Sunday (August 5), when temperatures soared to 30 deg C and in both cases the animals were lucky not to die from heat exposure.

The badly matted dog was seen tied up in a layby in Thurnby Lane, between Stoughton and Thurnby and a passing motorist saw him and took him to an RSPCA centre.

The dog after having his fur shaved off.The dog after having his fur shaved off.
The dog after having his fur shaved off.

The terrier-cross was in such bad condition he had to have all his fur shaved off, he was suffering with fleas, had rotten teeth and in-growing toenails.

The dog is now being cared for at the RSPCA Woodside branch in Leicester where staff have named him Andy and looks completely different now his masses of tangled hair have been shaved off. He now only has six teeth after all the others had to be removed.

The two female cats and three kittens, aged about 10 weeks old, were left in a small kitten carrier which was dumped in a field off Desford Road, Kirkby Muxloe. They were found by a passerby who had gone to feed their horses nearby.

The cats and kittens were all anaemic and suffering from a bad flea infestation and are now being cared for by the animal welfare charity.

The dumped cats.The dumped cats.
The dumped cats.

Sharon Knight, an animal collection officer for the RSPCA, said: “Both the dog and these cats were dumped in high temperatures and in isolated spots, it was very lucky that they just happened to be found when they were because they could have easily died of heatstroke.

“The poor dog was in very bad condition with terrible matted fur that we had to shave it all off to help treat him. He has had all but six teeth removed, flea treatment and his claws that were in-growing have been clipped. We are also not sure if he is blind.

“He has been through a rough few days and staff at the centre are now giving him some much-needed love and care to help his recovery, as he has trust issues which is hardly surprising considering what he has been through.

“The cats are also doing well now but due to the amount of abandonments we are dealing with we have had to house them at an RSPCA centre outside as everywhere in the Leicestershire area is full to capacity.

“It is so frustrating that people choose to dump animals in this way - they need to take responsibility for their pets and get them neutered to prevent unwanted litters.

“They should research just what a commitment it is to have a pet and that they are not disposable items that can be dumped when you have had enough.”

Summer is the busiest season for the animal welfare charity and the warmer months of 2017 saw more than 10,000 calls to its 24-hour emergency hotline about dumped pets - one every 12 minutes.

Those calls involved anything from cats left on the street tied up in bags, horses abandoned at the side of the road close to death, to dogs dumped out with the rubbish.

The RSPCA’s assistant director of inspectorate Dermot Murphy said: “Summer is the busiest time at the RSPCA, and it’s the time we see the most abandoned animals. With the number of calls rising and an increase in the number of animals collected, we are facing another welfare crisis this year as we head into the summer months.

“Last summer our team of inspectors and officers investigated more complaints of abandoned animals than they had done for two years which shows a worrying trend that things might be getting worse. We try to help as many animals as we can but we have just 332 inspectors which means one inspector for every 162,000 people so we have to prioritise the animals who are suffering most.

“We see every type of animal abandoned from dogs, cats and small animals to horses, farm animals and even exotic animals like pythons just left out on the street in their vivariums.

“Every animal has specific welfare needs and it’s so dangerous to leave any animal abandoned and having to fend for itself.

“There’s no saying why people choose to abandon their animals, or why this rises in the summer - possibly people dump their animals when they head off on holiday and haven’t found anyone to look after their pet when they’re away. Or maybe they feel less guilty, leaving a pet to fend for itself in the warmer weather, compared to the cold winter months.”