Ayrshire’s pet neglect shame

Jul 23 2010 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

PETS are being abandoned, starved and neglected in their hundreds across Ayrshire.

The horrifying extent of our pet abuse shame has been revealed by animal welfare officers.

In just five years 1700 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals have been saved from the very people who are supposed to love and care for them.

And the shocking figure is up by a quarter in just three years.

Marion Hainey, from Ayr’s Animal Welfare Centre, said: “I’ve doing this job for 20 years but it still has a big effect on me when we come across cruelty cases.

“It hurts me as well as making me angry.”

Scores of the rescued pets were at death’s door and too ill to be saved after months of neglect.

But many have been rescued from their fate and nursed back to health – no thanks to their callous owners.

The SSPCA say it is determined to stamp out animal cruelty and come down hard on those responsible.

Marion continued: “There are people out there who are genuine animal lovers and would feed their pet before they fed themselves.

“Then there are other people who are just nasty, bad people.”

Over the years, the Ayrshire Post has covered some of the most harrowing cases the SSPCA has ever seen.

In May 2003, Drongan man William McGhee was jailed for 60 days after bludgeoning his pet during a drunken rage.

McGhee used sharpened garden shears to torture his dog Benji in his garden shed.

In October 2006, cruel Keith Paton starved his dog Zac to the brink of death.

The withered Lurcher was abandoned without food in a run down kennel in Paton’s Catrine garden.

And in February 2007, vile Mary McCaig deserted her seriously ill and badly neglected collie cross when she went on holiday.

When animal welfare officers gained entry to McCaig’s Ayr home they found Blackie at death’s door in a horrific condition with a tumour hanging from his side.

At the time an animal welfare officer said: “This is one of the worst animal neglect cases I have experienced in my career. How this despicable woman can sleep at night is beyond me.”

But Marion says it’s not just dogs that are treated badly.

She said: “I’ve seen it all. Cats seem to get the rough end of the stick as well. And lately we’ve been getting loads of rabbits and even ferrets who are abandoned and neglected. It’s shocking.”

And she says there is absolutely no excuse.

Marion continued: “There is plenty of help out there for people.

“Sometimes people take on a pet without realising how much responsibility it entails.

“But if you are not coping, phone us or put a wee add up in your local vet’s surgery.

“And the PDSA offer a pet aid scheme to help people on benefits and pensioners.

“Of course money is tight for people but it’s just horrible when people don’t even make an effort to get help.”

Marion concluded: “Unfortunately, animal cruelty happens more than it should. I’m not sure if the message will ever get across.”