More than 250 dogs have been found at a property in scenes so shocking that the RSPCA was forced to deny allegations that the images were faked by artificial intelligence.
The animal welfare charity said it took in 87 dogs from the property at an undisclosed location in the UK and the remainder went to the Dogs Trust, another charity.
After the RSPCA posted images of the property online showing dozens of the animals crammed into a living room space, members of the public accused the charity of generating the photos with AI tools.
But the RSPCA said the images were real and it had seen a 70% rise in multi-animal incidents across England and Wales since 2021, referring to calls involving 10 or more animals.
The property owners told RSPCA inspectors they had lost control of the breeding of the poodle-cross dogs and the situation quickly “got out of hand”.
Jo Hirst , an RSPCA superintendent, said: “This shocking image is the reality of many multi-animal cases and the situation our frontline officers seem to be confronting more and more – with reports of cases involving 10, 20 and even 100 animals on the rise.
“We understand that people are so aghast they don’t believe what they are seeing. But this photo is not AI, it’s real. This is the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed – over-breeding can take over and conditions can spiral out of control.”
It is understood the owners in the case were considered “extremely vulnerable” by the charity, which decided not to prosecute them for any criminal offences.
The charity said cases of large numbers of animals being kept at one address could be linked to mental health struggles, the cost of living crisis, or breeders operating with poor practices. RSPCA experts say initially well-meaning individuals often see situations get out of hand.
Two of the dogs who were among the 250 found in the recent multi-animal rescue are Stevie and Sandy, both now looking for forever homes out of the RSPCA’s Southridge Animal Centre.
Last year, the charity responded to 4,200 incidents that involved at least 10 animals at the same address across England and Wales.
