RSPCA Friends of West Hatch Newsletter | Issue 16 RSPCA-Newsletter-SummerAutumn-2019-online | Page 10

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one a e t cto a r Jo t D im an e iel
By Insp
A quote that always motivates when the
tougher parts of this job test me is “saving
one dog will not change the world, but
surely for that one dog the world will
change forever” and when I was called to
a complaint in West Somerset we were
able to change the world for twelve
wonderful dogs (and a couple of other
little souls too!)
In February 2018 I attended an address
following concerns about two dogs that
had been taken to a local vet. One dog had
sadly died and the other was gravely ill.
On arrival I was greeted by a large group of
dogs, conditions were poor and many of
the dogs had very obvious problems. One
dog Rosie, a Leonberger type had such a bad
skin condition that although this is a breed
I am familiar with, she was unrecognisable.
The majority of the dogs had skin, teeth
and eye issues and most appeared to be
under-socialised and very vocal. Sam,
an Old English Sheepdog cross was very
nervous and avoidant. There was also a cat,
Napoleon with dental and skin problems
and a rabbit, tortoise and parrots who were
not having their basic welfare needs met.
With assistance from the police and a vet
the animals were removed and taken to
the RSPCA Centre, West Hatch. The owner
refused to sign over any of the dogs or cat
into the RSPCA’s care.
Being faced with so many animals with so
many immediate clinical problems must
have felt overwhelming but the staff and the
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vet worked tirelessly to assess, treat, groom
and care for these neglected creatures.
Many needed operations and along with
having treatment administered and coping
with kennel life it must have been a very
confusing time for them, especially for the
dogs and cat. Every effort was made by
the staff to place as many of the dogs as
possible into foster homes to make their
time in our care as stress free as possible.
The owner was investigated and a file of
evidence was submitted to my Headquarters.
A decision was made that the offences
and extent of neglect necessitated legal
action and the matter was placed before
the Courts. The dogs and cat remained in
our care and we were unable to rehome
them until the outcome of the case. A trial
was eventually heard in December 2018
(the Court system is such a long process)
and the owner was found guilty of causing
unnecessary suffering and failing to meet
the needs of her animals. She was
disqualified from keeping animals but
appealed against the sentence and the case
was adjourned to the Crown Court. Again
the animals’ fate was in the balance as we
had to await the outcome of the appeal.
Finally on 5th April 2019, 14 months after the
original call to us was made, the appeal was
dismissed, the owner disqualified and the
animals were finally ours to rehome.
One advantage of having the dogs in our
care for such a long time is that we and our
amazing fosterers are able to rehabilitate
the animals not only physically but also
mentally. So when the animals are made
available for rehoming at the conclusion
of this case, they have not only changed
physically but also emotionally.
My heartfelt thanks go to all the staff and
the fosterers for their dedicated work. It
has been a real privilege to watch these
wonderful dogs being matched with their
amazing new owners in their homes, where
their world has at last changed forever.