Puppy rescued from family-of-17 living in two-bed property in Sheffield

Police rescued a 12-week old puppy from a two-bedroom property housing 17 people because of concerns for its welfare.

Officers from the South Yorkshire Police dog legislation team attended the house in the Pitsmoor area of Sheffield after reports about conditions at the address.

The force said the dog, called Ella, had been bought to entertain children living there.

PC Paul Jameson said: "We removed Ella from the property she was living in as she was not being cared for in a responsible way. She had been bought as a toy and was not being respected as a dog, including being given space and room for herself.

"During the process of removing Ella, we explained to the family that changes would need to be made and the likelihood was that they wouldn’t receive Ella back until she was much older. They didn’t want her back at an older age so signed her over to be rehomed."

The force said it deals with an average of five incidents a day involving dogs causing fear, harm or injury to people or other animals. The dog legislation team seizes at least two a day until further checks are carried out.

PC Jameson added: "We have already rehomed 34 dogs this year. We want the best outcome for dogs and families. We want responsible owners to have decent dogs, in a safe environment and that’s why it is important that anyone looking to buy a dog does so from a reputable breeder or rehomes a dog from a rescue centre.

"We do not remove good, safe animals from responsible families. We also do not destroy safe, manageable dogs. Our team are here to reduce risk, fatalities and injury."

Ella has been rehomed and now lives in the countryside with another dog.

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