Ninety-three dogs have been saved from a faeces-filled house that rescuers describe as the "worst case" they have seen in 20 years. The poor pooches, which included dachshunds, labradors and French bulldogs, poodles and Bichon Frise, were seized by Gwent Police, and the owner has been prosecuted by the RSPCA.
Inspector Darren Oakley was appalled by the dogs' living conditions, describing it as "one large disgusting kennel". In his statement presented to court, he said: "The conditions inside the house were horrendous; the floors were covered in faeces with dogs in cages living in their own filth. Every room contained more dogs and pups, the whole house had become one large disgusting kennel. The smell and sights were clearly having an affect on the police who were in attendance."
"The dogs had no food or water, the only few that did have water were the ones with outside access due to the rain. When food and water was placed down, for the loose dogs, they ate/drank ravenously."
After the dogs were seized by police, they were taking into the care of RSPCA and numerous litters of puppies were born leading to the animal welfare charity having a total of 137 dogs.
The Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home were contacted by RSPCA and took in 18 dogs - including two whelping mums and their eight puppies, along with eight seven-week-old French bulldog puppies.
Ebony Poole, senior animal care assistant at the Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home said: "I remember the day so clearly and unfortunately not for anything positive.
"It was actually my day off but I took a call from my colleague who asked for help as we had 18 dogs on the way to the centre which isn’t a call we take every day.
"The dogs had already arrived by the time I got there and what I and my colleagues witnessed that day is a sight that will never leave me.
"I walked into the office and my colleague had a tiny French bulldog puppy on his lap, this poor puppy couldn’t even raise her head because she was so weak.
"To be honest, she was just a shell of a puppy; puppies of that age should be bright, alert, playful, and interactive. This puppy was weak, lethargic, scared, and completely shut down."
Almost immediately after the dogs' arrival, it became apparent that something was not right and two of the puppies were admitted to the vets.
As the hours went on, more and more of the animals began to exhibit signs of a dangerous virus known as parvovirus and within a couple of days, the vets had all the puppies in their critical care unit, with the crew working around the clock to care for them.
Parvovirus is a highly infectious disease that can be fatal. Many dogs who are diagnosed with parvo will die.
The virus attacks cells in a dog's intestines and stops them from being able to absorb vital nutrients. This means that a dog or puppy will become very weak and dehydrated.
Sadly, after three days of around the clock veterinary care and treatment the team lost one of the pups, and after four days of battling parvovirus they had to say goodbye to another.
However, the remaining 16 dogs at Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home have now been rehomed after gaining back their strength.
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
