We have launched an urgent appeal to fund the care of these dogs including newborn pups.
We have saved 216 dogs in need in the last ten days in a series of complex rescues in what we believe could be the biggest intake of dogs in their 185-year history.
This compares to 45 dogs who were rescued in the same ten-day period last year – a massive 380% increase.
The influx has been largely driven by rescues of large numbers of dogs from locations across Scotland. Most of the dogs - from small to giant breeds - had been kept in absolute squalor and a number have required veterinary treatment for various conditions including dental disease, infected ears, and severely matted fur.
All the animals are now safe and receiving the necessary care in several of our rescue centres across Scotland.
The charity has also been supported by local veterinary practices in handling the emergency response.
And the numbers continue to grow as several of the dogs rescued were found to be heavily pregnant and later gave birth in the charity’s animal rescue centres. One litter of pups born in a rescue centre, has been being bottle-fed by staff.
However, we are facing a race against time to cover the cost of looking after each of the animals and finding both temporary foster homes and permanent forever homes. We estimate that the cost of the care for each animal will be an average of £20 per day for just their accommodation and has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds for their care as each dog could be in our care for up to eight weeks.
The costs of basic health check, first vaccinations and flea and worm treatment and the amount of days needed kept in our care can reach an estimated £1,223.80 for each dog.
Scottish SPCA Head of Rescue and Prevention Laura McIntyre said:
“This is the biggest single influx of dogs in such a short period that I’ve ever seen and we urgently need help to deal with this unprecedented situation. We are seeing increasing numbers of cases where our inspectors need to step in to remove very large numbers of multiple animals from properties where they have been kept in utterly appalling and desperate conditions and been exposed to horrific neglect. That has reached extreme levels over the past week and our teams have been working relentlessly to get hundreds of animals to safety.”
Head of Rehoming and Fostering Jennie Macdonald, said:
“Our priority now is giving these dogs the care they desperately need and then eventually finding them new homes – we need foster homes for as many of the dogs as possible to help in the short term while we work to find their forever homes.
“Our fostering team are going above and beyond to get puppies out of the centres and into family homes for important socialisation.
“We urgently need donations to help us give these dogs the care they need, every contribution will make a difference to their recovery and their future.”
“Together we can give these animals the second chance they deserve.”
To donate to our urgent appeal text ‘Text PUPPIES followed by your donation amount to 70450 to give that amount. For example, PUPPIES 10 to give £10.
If you are considering adopting one of these animals then please check and apply on our website.
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer then find out more here
