Footage shows the “horrendous” conditions inside a house in Walsall where the RSPCA found pets with rubbish and excrement piled high in what was described as a the “worst case” by an officer
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Harrowing footage shows house where RSPCA rescued 34 animals
RSPCA officers needed face masks from the smell as they rescued dogs, cats and other animals from a “sea” of rubbish and excrement inside a house.
A shocking video shows the “horrendous” conditions where 34 animals were kept in what one RSPCA worker described as “the worst case” she has ever seen. The desperate animals were found emaciated and covered in fleas inside the disgusting property with some having to be put down.
RSPCA officers raided the house of horrors in Walsall, West Midlands, last April wearing protective suits and face masks and needed regular breaks to escape the foul smell. Stomach-churning footage shows the floors of the house covered “in a sea” of empty dog food cans and rubbish.
There was so much animal excrement piled up over several months, it had become compacted and covered every inch of the floor. The RSPCA seized 24 dogs, including a bull breed puppy with a broken leg, seven cats, a hamster and two rats.
Three people were also found living inside the house along with the animals. RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Vicki Taylor and her colleague Inspector Steve Morrall attended the house. Vicki said it was the worst case she had ever seen in her 21 years with the charity.
“We were faced with a multitude of animal welfare issues and conditions that can only be described as horrendous,” she said. “All the puppies had been born in the house and it was clear they’d never left the property or been on a lead because they dropped to the floor and didn’t know what to do when we attempted to take them out.
“They were completely unsocialised and many of them were extremely scared. The cats were peeping out from the wire guinea pigs cages, absolutely petrified. Several enclosures had more than one cat crammed in them and their coats were stained yellow from urine, it was a truly squalid existence for them from both a physical and mental point of view.
“The conditions were so dire that none of the animals had anywhere to go that was clean, dry or safe. Every surface was caked in excrement and myself, Steve and the police officers had to keep going outside to breathe in fresh air because the ammonia was overpowering.
“None of the animals had been neutered and I think it was a situation where the owners had probably started off with a few pets which had bred and numbers had then got out of hand over many months. It was a long, difficult and tiring job, but we had great support from the police and it was a wonderful feeling to be able to remove those animals and get them the help they needed.”
The animals were taken to the RSPCA’s Animal Hospital in Birmingham but two dogs and a rat were put to sleep. All the cats were underweight and several had severe flea infestations and dental disease with holes in their teeth. Kennel Supervisor Kelly Legg from Birmingham Animal Centre, said: “The smell of the dogs when they arrived made your eyes water.”
Luckily, seven of the dogs have since been rehomed. Following an RSPCA prosecution, two people were banned for life from keeping all animals and handed a suspended 20-week prison sentence. They admitted a string of charges including failing to provide the animals with veterinary care, a suitable living environment and protecting them from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
A third person from the same area was fined £50 and ordered to pay £100 in costs. The RSPCA say rising cases of animal neglect are as a result of more people having pets during Covid coupled with the cost-of-living crisis. Figures show the number of animals abandoned in England and Wales during the winter period has increased by 51 per cent in just three years. The RSPCA received 3,071 animal abandonment reports between November 2020 to January 2021 compared with 4,630 cases last winter.