More than 250 dogs found with matted and crusted coats in an overcrowded home are “doing really well”, the RSPCA says after carrying out a mass rescue.
A photograph taken by the charity showed dozens of poodle-cross dogs crammed in a dingy room.
There were so many animals that social-media users accused the RSPCA of using artificial intelligence to fake the picture – but the charity dismissed the claim, pointing out it had so many stories of neglected animals that it didn’t need to invent any.
The discovery was made in January at an undisclosed location in the UK. The RSPCA says the conditions of the dogs and their numbers had grown out of control during “extenuating family circumstances”, and it would not prosecute anyone due to “extremely vulnerable nature” of the owners.
Of the animals rescued, 87 were taken in by the RSPCA, and the Dogs Trust took the rest.
Lee Hopgood, the RSPCA's operational superintendent for the North of England, told the BBC that the matted and crusted coats of many dogs required treatment but that surprisingly the animals were fine and “doing really, really well”.
A spokesperson for Dogs Trust said that after the dogs had received care and behavioural support, many had been successfully rehomed and “are enjoying life in their for ever homes”.
Some were still with Dogs Trust, including those that had given birth since the rescue, they added.
A former RSPCA inspectorate commissioner, Dermot Murphy, who adopted one of the dogs, called Boone, said it was underweight, and had sore ears and sore eyes when rescued.
"He'd never been on a lead before, so when you put a lead on he locked his claws to the floor, he didn't know what that was".
Settling into life outside the crammed room had caused “a bit of a sensory overload”, so Boone had to be introduced to new experiences gradually.
But now, Boone can be off the lead and play with a ball.
“It’s just fantastic to see how he's come out of himself and become part of our family,” Mr Murphy said.
The RSPCA 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.
“We can confirm that AI has not been used to create this image," a charity spokesperson said.
“As much as we wish this image wasn't real, sadly it very much is – and we are being called to more and more multi-animal reports like this.
“We don't need to use AI as we have countless stories to share about the animals our frontline teams are helping.”
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