More than 450 animals abandoned across Shropshire in a year

RSPCA chiefs said 459 abandonments had been reported in the area, with incidents rising almost one-fifth nationally between 2020 and last year.

And fears have been sparked by chiefs that the incidents are increasing, with 268 animals being reported in the area during January to July this year.

Dermot Murphy, chief inspectorate officer, said: "The idea of putting your cat in a cat carrier and taking them to a secluded spot in the woods before walking away, or chucking your dog out of the car and driving off leaving them desperately running behind the vehicle, is absolutely unthinkable and heartbreaking to most pet owners - but sadly we are seeing animals callously abandoned like this every single day.

"We understand that sometimes the unexpected can happen – the pandemic and cost of living crisis proved that – but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal. There are always other options for anyone who has fallen on hard times and can no longer afford to keep their pet."

Earlier this year a poorly dog had to be put down after being found alone in a south Shropshire field suffering from a large leg tumour. The black and white Labrador/collie cross was found by the dog warden in a small enclosed field in Richard's Castle, near Ludlow.

The charity fears that a huge rise in pet ownership during the pandemic, coupled with the cost of living crisis putting a strain on people’s finances, means even more animals are being given up this year.

The animal welfare charity has released the stark figures as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty summer campaign, which aims to raise funds to keep its rescue teams on the frontline.

Meanwhile, the charity revealed it receives around 90,000 calls to its cruelty line every month but in the summer, between July and August, calls rise to 134,000 a month and reports of cruelty soar to 7,600 each month.

Dogs were the most abandoned pet nationally, with 14,462 reports of dumped dogs made to the RSPCA last year. Cats were the second most abandoned pet, with 10,051 reports of cats being callously dumped in 2021. There were also 3,363 abandoned exotic pets reported to the RSPCA, including 1,455 fish and 685 snakes.

The charity received over one million calls to its cruelty line last year, which included reports of 1,094 killings, 632 mutilations and 7,857 beatings.