Staffy puppies 'left to rot' in 'filthy' flat look unrecognisable in heartwarming update

Jack and Poppy were found "terrified and emaciated" and "hours from death"

Three Staffordshire bull terrier puppies were abandoned and "let to rot" in a disgusting flat covered in faces, urine and flies. Jack and Poppy were so weak they could barely move when they were found on a filthy mattress next to the decaying body of their dead sibling.

The RSPCA had been called by a worried neighbour who believed the puppies had been left behind after their owner moved out of their Liverpool property. Jack and Poppy were found "terrified and emaciated" and "hours from death", while a third puppy had already succumbed to the horrendous conditions.

The three pups had been barricaded inside the flat with a fridge freezer. RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes, who attended the scene, said: “Poppy and Jack were one of the saddest sights of my career - they were like skeletons and were suffering fur loss due to a severe skin condition. They looked so depressed and it was almost as though they had given up on life.

“It was terribly upsetting that they were left like that and a fridge freezer had been placed across the front door of the flat almost in a crude attempt to seal the dog’s fate. When we arrived they were hours from death and the property was strewn with empty food cans covered in teeth marks where the pups had scavenged for weeks in a desperate attempt to survive. It must have been so traumatising for them.”

Jack and Poppy were so weak they had to be carried from the flat and were rushed to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, where it was touch and go whether they would survive.

Their tragic story is just one of many, as worrying figures released by the RSPCA show the number of animals abandoned in England and Wales during the winter period has increased by 51% in just three years. In Merseyside, latest figures show the number of abandonment reports to the RSPCA for 2023 was 680 up from 530 in 2021 when the cost of living crisis began - a staggering 24% increase.

The RSPCA received 3,071 animal abandonment reports during the winter period (November to January) in 2021. Last winter this number more than doubled to 4,630 - a 51% increase.

In total, 20,999 abandonment reports were made to the charity’s emergency line in 2023, and according to latest 2024 figures (available up until the end of October) 19,067 have been reported this year. If trends continue, this means the number of abandoned pets in England and Wales will be almost 23,000 this year.

Before the cost of living crisis, the number of reported abandonments during 2020 stood at 16,118 reports - showing a 30% rise in calls in just three years. Since then, the RSPCA has seen a year-on-year increase in the number of abandonment reports, climbing from 17,179 in 2021 to 19,645 in 2022.

The charity believes the surge in pet ownership during the Covid-19 lockdown and the increasing financial hardships due to soaring living costs have led to the increase in people dumping their pets. This is expected to worsen over winter as more people must balance Christmas shopping with yet another increase in energy bills.

RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Briggs said: “We are seeing a shocking rise in the number of calls reporting pet abandonment to our emergency line during winter with an eye-watering 51% rise in three years. Sadly we expect the trend will continue as more pet owners face financial hardship at this time of year more than any other.

“Our rescuers are regularly coming across dogs in poor health, collapsed and left in isolated spots to suffer a lingering death; sick kittens discarded in cardboard boxes who are lucky to be found alive; or pet rabbits dumped in the wild with little chance of survival against predators.

“With the cost of living crisis we are also seeing people having to move out of properties due to financial pressures, and we are increasingly coming across pets who have been left locked in homes alone after their owners have moved out - like Jack and Poppy who were left to starve on a filthy mattress but were rescued by the RSPCA and have since been rehomed.

“Heartbreakingly, we are seeing many pets left in their own filth - with no food or water, no-one to care for them and no idea if anyone will come to help them."

Luckily for Jack and Poppy, their story has a happy ending. Thanks to the dedication and care of RSPCA vets, they made a full recovery at the RSPCA Gonsal Farm Animal Centre, Shropshire, and have both been rehomed with loving families of their very own.

Emily Rodgers, 44, from Wrexham, North Wales, adopted Jack in November 2023, and he is now loving life with her, her partner Johnathan, eight-year-old daughter Wren, and another dog called Winnie who was also adopted from the RSPCA.

Emily said: “It makes me emotional to think of how Jack was found but at least he can put that well and truly behind him now and he has a family who adore him.

“He has brought us so much joy already and we look forward to all the fun and adventures we will have in the future and I can't wait to see how his character truly flourishes as he becomes more comfortable with the world.”

Simone Smith, 43, from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, adopted Poppy in January 2024, and she is now part of an all-female family which includes Simone's daughters Monai, 25, Dvarnay, 22, and Eve, 14.

Simone said: “At first Poppy struggled with separation anxiety even if we were not around for a few minutes - which is understandable after what she had been through - but now she slowly has got used to it and she is an amazing dog. She is so loving and we all adore her.”

The RSPCA has launched its Christmas appeal for donations as demand for its services is expected to rise. Ian said: “Right now, far too many animals are suffering behind closed doors. But as long as animals are in desperate need this Christmas, we won’t stop. So please join the Christmas rescue and together we will bring joy and safety to animals. For thousands of terrified and injured animals, we’ll turn the worst suffering into the best Christmas yet – because it will be the one where their lives change forever, and the start of many happier Christmases to come.”