A dog was left living in "horrendous conditions" with its main source of food being from neighbours throwing scraps over the fence, an animal charity has said.
Now known as Rita, the dog was left in a garden in all weathers with "debris everywhere" and no food or water, when Carla Lane Animals In Need, in Sefton were made aware. Despite being overwhelmed with calls, they decided she couldn't be left before staff took her in.
Consultant Kellie O'Shea told the ECHO that Rita had been living in "appalling conditions" for the last six months and was "absolutely not safe" to be left. The charity has warned there are real fears that, due to a massive increase in demand for dogs needing to be rehomed or rescued, some will be left to suffer.
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Rita is now thriving at the rescue centre, along with other dogs, once in need of urgent attention. Kellie added: "If the trend of buying and breeding dogs continues, we will be in a very disastrous situation. People need to look at their choices and whether inconveniences can be worked through. It's escalating daily. If nothing changes, the outlook is very bleak for dogs."
Kellie said that dogs are dying every day for want of a safe space and for the first time in 30 years, staff are finding themselves having to turn away pets in need due to a sheer demand. Consultant Kellie said that these are "unprecedented times" in which change can only come about when people change their mindsets.
With a surge in unwanted "lockdown puppies" as life returns to normal, coupled with the cost of living crisis and a "lack of breeding legislation", rescues across the UK are finding themselves in crisis and Kellie says there are "dark times ahead" if something doesn't change. She added that the "opportunity for helping dogs isn't increasing" and there is a lack of a strict re-homing criteria from independent sellers.
She told the ECHO : "At Carla Lane we currently have an outstanding vet bill for £20,000 which is extortionate. We always try to take the most at risk dogs first but at the moment, most dogs are needing to be seen. The dogs that do need to come in aren't being matched by the flow of homes available.
"This is the worst we've ever seen, this level of demand. There's always been a steady trickle but the numbers now are astronomical. The other night I had seven calls for seven different jobs after 8pm on my personal phone, that's not coming through the rescue.
"We've got a file absolutely bursting and we now have to look at who is most at risk which is really difficult. The sad reality is that dogs are dying every day for want of a safe place. The explosion is happening now and we are having to turn dogs away. Every day we get calls about a dog being put to sleep but if we haven't got the space there's not much we can do."
Kellie told the ECHO they are seeing an increase in "designer dogs" and the "presentation of dogs" such as older dogs or those who have "outlived their usefulness". Also seeing an increase is dogs with "no training" or needing health care as she urges people to "think carefully" before getting a dog.
She said: "It all just takes a bit of planning. The homes just aren't there at the moment and you can't give what you haven't got. We really do need support, we need homes and donations to get that vet bill down. We really need people to help if they can but also think about their attitudes, it won't change overnight.
"During covid we had over 1,000 application to home dogs, but now we barely have any. People are failing to think about what they are spending their money on, it's not just paying for the dog, it's thinking about vet bills if they are prone to health issues. You need to think that through but also for the welfare of the dog, is it right to fund an industry that purposely creates dogs that will suffer for the rest of their lives?
"Anyone in the UK can breed a litter a year but with the numbers of dogs already in existence, there will be a massive influx of dogs. There's a wider issue of people obtaining dogs from sources that don't carry out the same checks as a rescue.
"There's been a drop in resources because of financial opportunities. We have an excellent support in the community, people are amazing but nothing we seem to be doing is enough. We really need people to think if they can bring a dog into their lives and if thinking about designer breeds, the rescues are full of them.
"We are seeing the after effects of a perfect storm. There are a lot of genuine people scared to approach a rescue, that's not the message. We are here to help. We will always help when we can."
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