Wednesday 13 June 2012
Scruffy’s story sparks call for pet owners to act responsibly
Staff at a leading animal welfare charity are calling on pet owners to act responsibly when making the decision to give up a pet.
The call comes after a 6-year-old West Highland Terrier was tied to a fence along the busy A1198 outside Wood Green’s Godmanchester Centre on June 2nd and abandoned.
The dog, who was named Scruffy by staff because his hair was extremely overgrown and matted, was rescued by a member of the team at around 4pm and taken to the Charity’s on site vet to be checked over.
Deputy Manager of Dog Welfare, Chris Bennett said: “Fortunately, apart from his overgrown hair, which has since been clipped, Scruffy is in a relatively good condition. However, tying him to a fence alongside a busy road was extremely dangerous for Scruffy and it is lucky he didn’t escape and run into the road.
“At Wood Green we pride ourselves in being open and non-judgemental and we would urge anyone wanting to give up their pet to contact us in the first instance so we can offer support and advice.
“Speaking with the previous owners also gives us some history of the pet and information which proves invaluable when it comes to rehoming.”
For further information, support or advice, or for details about rehoming Scruffy, please call Wood Green on 0844 248 8181.
5 Comments
A friend of mine recently rehomed a staffy cross who was abandoned, tied to a fence in a field. The farmer found him, fed him and took him to the vet. Apart from being very thin, he was in good health.
The vet, however, found that he was microchipped and contacted the registered owner who told him that they had given him to a friend of a friend the previous year as they could no longer cope with him.
Why people don't just take their dogs to a local animal charity like Wood Green is beyond me. If it's a question of feeling ashamed about not being able to take care of an animal, I'd rather deal with that feeling than abandoning a poor creature to suffer, and potentially die. How can these people sleep at night?
People are sick. They don't seem to realise that having a pet is a responsibility, and I can't even understand the 'giving away' part, let alone leaving it tied up and never knowing what is going to happen to the poor innocent animal. It saddens and infuriates me. Anyway, Scruffy looks absolutely gorgeous, and I'm glad he's in good condition regardless of what happened to him. Let's hope it's not too long before his new owners come along and fall in love!
It is amazing that people get away with cruelty like that. Scruffy looks amazing after Wood Green has worked there magic. I hope he finds a good home if not I may have to pay him a visit :~)
Hes a beautiful westie does anyone know if he has found a home yet? We had one for 14 years and would love another.
We're happy to report that Scruffy has now been rehomed!