Distressed dog abandoned in cage in Birmingham industrial park

The RSPCA has released a photo showing the moment animal rescuers helped a dog that had been abandoned in a cage with no food and water in Birmingham.

The charity was contacted after a member of the public found the German Shepherd at an industrial park in Armoury Road earlier this month.

“This poor dog was clearly very distressed - he had no food or water and just a thin blanket covering the cage he was dumped in", says RSPCA inspector, Kate Levesley.

“Heartbreakingly, the dog was also wearing what we believe to be a shock collar, a cruel device which causes pain and fear in animals."

“Thankfully the dog was physically okay and was collected by a dog warden, but it is sad that he was ever put in this situation in the first place. It is never acceptable to abandon an animal so cruelly like this.”

CCTV footage has now been obtained by the RSPCA and inspectors are calling on the public to help with their investigation.

Kate, who is leading the investigation, added: “It has been reported that a man driving a purple car abandoned the dog, however, we don’t have further information at this time.

"If you recognise the dog or know who did this, please do report this to us in complete confidence so we can look into it further.”

Intentional animal cruelty up almost 30% in the West Midlands

The latest figures from the RSPCA show an alarming increase in intentional animal cruelty in the West Midlands.

Last year there were 684 reports of intentional harm to animals - including beatings, mutilations such as ear cropping, poisonings and even killings.

It's an increase of 27% compared to figures in 2021, a rise that officers say is much higher than the national average.

The RSPCA has launched its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign to raise awareness of cruelty and raise funds so its frontline teams can continue to rescue animals from cruelty and abuse.