OVER 80 dogs have been rescued from a “squalid” house of horrors, riddled with filth.
The pets included 78 springer spaniels along with two cats and a chicken.
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Faeces and filth covered every corner of the room the animals were discovered in, South Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA relayed.
The animals, who were found in a house in a town near Nottinghamshire, were removed from the property one by one.
The force told how they were “immediately taken aback by the smell, the conditions and the volume of animals living inside.”
All in all, the officers counted 78 springer spaniels and four other breed dogs.
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They were discovered in Tickhill, Doncaster, on Thursday, April 17.
Each animal was safely removed and taken to kennels.
An investigation to find out who is responsible is also underway, police say.
They force added: “Animal cruelty will not be tolerated across South Yorkshire, and we will work with partners to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.”
Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: “Effective teamwork and strong partnerships between us, the RPSCA and Doncaster City Council allowed us to act on community intelligence that a property was being used to house animals and obtain an emergency warrant from the courts.
“This is not responsible dog ownership – this is cruelty and I am pleased we have been able to intervene and ensure that these dogs receive the care they deserve and hopefully have a bright future ahead of them.”
It comes after Scotland saw a spike in owners banned from keeping pets.
Figures show there were 274 animal cruelty convictions in 2023/24 — twice as many as the 137 in 2012/13.
The number convicted for abusing dogs rocketed from 44 that year, to 177 this year, the highest for more than a decade.
And more than half of all banning orders since 2017 have been handed out in the past two years, with 191 issued by courts since 2022.
Scottish Tory MSP Maurice Golden claimed “the problem goes much deeper than these figures suggest”.
He said: “The law needs tightened on a number of fronts when it comes to animal welfare, not least when it comes to the theft of dogs.”
He is leading a bill to make stealing dogs a specific criminal offence.
And he wants any new law to focus on the impact of the loss of the dog on the owner.
