Carol Smillie: Buying a pet

Britain’s reputation as a nation of animal lovers is under threat as more pet owners were prosecuted than ever before under new powers brought in to stem abuse.

The RSPCA said investigations into complaints of abuse had risen by 12 per cent in 2007 to 137,245, while convictions for cruelty had leapt by 23 per cent to 2,026.

The charity detailed horrific cases of abuse as they released the figures, including that of a London couple who cut the ears off their Staffordshire bull terrier to make it look more macho, and a cat kicked to death for having muddy paws.

As well as indicating a possible increase in cruelty, the increase in prosecutions can also be explained by the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act a year ago. The legislation has so far proved effective as a preventative measure, with the RSPCA reporting that in 92 per cent of cases where they had advised pet owners to alter their behaviour, no further action was necessary.

Meanwhile banning orders preventing offenders owning animals increased by 26 per cent to 861, with the Act now requiring courts to explain their reasons if they do not impose the measure.

One of the successful prosecutions outlined in the report was that of Abishai Hayes, 22, of Holloway, north London, who admitted torturing his 10-month-old dog. The collie cross-breed was found with two broken legs, slash wounds to the face and deep stab wounds to the neck, legs, back and chest.

In another case, a dog was found so badly starved that RSPCA workers struggled to identify the breed.

As ever, it is dogs bearing the brunt of animal abuse, with a massive rise in convictions of 34 per cent to 1,197. But cats saw an increase of 15 per cent to 277, while convictions against horse owners have also risen.

“These animals are the helpless victims of our affluent, throwaway society,” said Tim Wass, Chief Officer of the RSPCA Inspectorate. “They’re bought on a whim and discarded when the novelty wears off. Today’s must-have item quickly turns into tomorrow’s cast-off.”

He continued: “Some animals are violently abused because they don’t meet their owners’ unrealistic expectations: like the cat kicked to death for having muddy paws or the dog strangled with its lead for misbehaving.”

The Act’s apparent success was demonstrated by a 12.5 per cent drop in the number of defendants dismissed and a 42 per cent rise in prison sentences. Over 97 per cent of prosecutions brought by the RSPCA were successful - significantly higher than the Crown Prosecution Office’s overall success rate at 84.8 per cent.

Andy Robbins, a spokesperson for the RSPCA, said the increase cited by the charity did not necessarily represent a rise in cruelty, as it was never possible to know how many abuses were taking place undetected.

However the Act was enabling the organisation to act sooner when abuses were taking place, he said.

“We expected the rise because of the Animal Welfare Act – it means we can step in a lot sooner. Before someone could go for quite a while neglecting their animals without it actually being a crime – now it is.”

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