RSPCA warns of abandonment rises after dead dog found in Carlisle

A shocked dog walker found the body of a mother dog dumped in a ditch in an area of Sowerby Wood, off Lingley Close in Carlisle.

The man came across a ‘large pool of blood’ on the morning of June 23, before finding the body of a young brindle greyhound dog.

The animal had suffered a large trauma to her head, consistent with a blunt instrument being used.

A scan revealed the dog, called Lass, was microchipped, 3-years-old and had been very recently pregnant.

Investigations also showed she was originally registered to an address in Carlisle, but the details have not been kept up-to-date.

Chris Towler, an RSPCA inspector, believes the dog was taken to the area to be deliberately killed.

And the RSPCA fear that abandonments and attacks such as this one will only get more common as people struggle to cope with the sharp rise in the cost-of-living.

A News and Star report from Monday, August 29 reported that 68 per cent of pet owners said their pet care costs were increasing and almost a fifth said that they were worried about how to afford to care for their pet.

The RSPCA has now released figures showing the scale of the crisis. Cumbria has seen 182 abandoned pets so far this year which is an 8 per cent rise from the same period last year.

Whilst the Cumbria figure is much higher than normal it is below the national average with the number of animals being dumped seeing a 17 per cent increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 24 per cent increase in 2022.

"Sadly, we are seeing animals callously abandoned every single day" Dermot Murphy, chief inspectorate officer at the RSPCA, said.

“We understand that sometimes the unexpected can happen - the pandemic and cost of living crisis proved that - but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal.

"There are always other options for anyone who has fallen on hard times and can no longer afford to keep their pet.”

Anyone who is concerned about the welfare of their pet is urged to contact the RSPCA.

READ MORE: Apollo the dog still missing on Haystacks fell