Shropshire dog rescuer 'sickened' by cruelty cases
It was a busy summer for Shropshire dog rescuer Hayley Bradley who was called to a number of shocking animal cruelty cases.
Ms Bradley, from Gobowen, near Oswestry, is founder of Hector’s Greyhound Rescue and said the school holidays brought a spike in the number of dogs which had been domestically abused.
She said: “We normally specialise in rescuing ex-racing dogs and abandoned dogs. But over the school holidays we’ve had lots of hand-ins from the authorities due to domestic violence.
“The level of animal cruelty in this area is on the rise and some of the cases have made me sick to my stomach.”
Back in July, she received a call from police asking her to take in two lurcher type dogs whose owner was threatening to cut their heads off with a machete.
“It was sickening and I was truly shocked,” she said.
“Shortly after I took in a little greyhound girl called Susie who had been kicked to the ground.
Addiction
“Her owner had stamped on her feet to the point where she couldn’t walk.
“I then had another come in from an abusive home. The owner, who was suffering from an addiction, was giving the dog amphetamines which made him very ill. Thankfully he’s happy in a new home now.
“The whole summer has horrified me. It really has. People are so unaware of the level of cruelty going on around them – especially in Oswestry.”
To raise money for the vet bills, the volunteers of Hector’s Greyhound Rescue are holding a fun dog show on Saturday on the Bailey Head, Oswestry, between 10am and 1pm.
On September 16 there is another fun day at Acorn Kennels, Whitchurch.
For more information visit hectorsgreyhoundrescue.org
