34 animals rescued from 'horrendous' house littered with empty food cans and waste

RSPCA officers were forced to wear protective suits and face masks as they saved more than 30 animals from horrendous living circumstances in a West Midlands home. 

Rescuers were met with a 'sea' of empty food cans, months of compacted excrement and an overpowering smell of ammonia and faeces as they entered a property in Walsall in April 2023.

Investigating officers said the squalid living environments were the worst they have seen in over 20 years as they highlighted the case for their Join the Christmas Rescue campaign. 

Police discovered the animals in the Walsall property in April of last year, immediately alerting the RSPCA of the horrible standards of living. 

After searching the property, RSPCA officers discovered three people and 34 animals living among the soiled clothing, flies and piles of household rubbish.

24 dogs, seven cats, a hamster and two rats

Of the animals were 24 dogs, including a bull breed type puppy with a broken leg - seven cats, a hamster and two rats, one of whom collapsed and died. 

Four 'petrified' cats with urine-stained coats were also found crammed into filthy guinea pig cages with there being no sign of litter trays of fresh food or water. 

Officers said that the smell of ammonia was so overpowering that it caught in their throats and stung their eyes and they were forced to frequently go outside to catch their breaths. 

Inspector Viki Taylor, who has been with the group for 21 years, said: "We were faced with a multitude of animal welfare issues and conditions that can only be described as horrendous.

"All the puppies had been born in the house and it was clear they’d never left the property or been on a lead because they dropped to the floor and didn’t know what to do when we attempted to take them out.

"They were completely unsocialised and many of them were extremely scared. The cats were peeping out from the wire cages of guinea pigs, and they were absolutely petrified. 

"Several enclosures had more than one cat crammed in them and their coats were stained yellow from urine, it was a truly squalid existence for them from both a physical and mental point of view." 

Rescued

The animals were quickly seized from the house by police as part of the RSPCA's investigation, with the animals being taken to the group's Birmingham Animal Hospital where they were examined by a team of vets and given the treatment they desperately needed.

On examination, all of the cats were found to be underweight and several of them had severe flea infestations and dental disease.

The dogs on the other hand, which included 15 bull-terrier and cross-breed puppies, were found to have 'adequate' body condition scores, however, many of them had red eyes due to the high amount of ammonia in in the air and some could not be examined initially because they were so nervous. 

The animals were rehabilitated at various RSPCA rehoming centres.

They included Raya, a six-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Lazlo, a male Shar Pei-type dog. 

Tragically, the rat and two other dogs had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds. 

Kennel Supervisor, Kelly Legg, from the Birmingham Animal Centre, said: "The smell of the dogs when they arrive made your eyes water. They were all given much-needed baths to clean their very dirty coats.

"Raya was one of the dogs we cared for. Like all of them, she was very timid and frightened at first, but soon her puppy curiosity began to bring out her brave side and she gained confidence, making friends with lots of the staff and volunteers and other dogs. 

"She learnt from positive experiences how to interact in new environments and situations and became a cheeky, loving girl. We were so pleased when in June this year we were able to match her with a fantastic new home." 

Investigation

Following an RSPCA prosecution, two people were disqualified from keeping all animals for life and given suspended 20-week custodial sentences after pleading guilty to offences including failing to provide the animal with veterinary care, a suitable living environment and taking reasonable steps to protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease. 

A third person from the same area was fined £50 and ordered to pay £100 in costs. 

RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Briggs said: "Our rescuers are regularly coming across dogs in poor health, collapsed and left in isolated spots to suffer a lingering death; sick kittens discarded in cardboard boxes who are lucky to be found alive; or pet rabbits dumped in the wild with little chance of survival against predators. 

"With the cost of living crisis, we are also seeing people having to move out of properties due to financial pressures, and we are increasingly coming across pets who have been left locked in homes alone after their owners have moved out. 

"Heartbreakingly they are unable to survive for long in their own filth - with no food or water, no one to care for them and no idea if anyone will come to help them. Thanks to the public supporting us we are able to rescue many animals, rehabilitate them and find them new homes - but to continue this life-saving work we need people to Join The Christmas Rescue.”