Pelham Street residents clap and cheer at the moment Newark Police free three abandoned and emaciated dogs after Advertiser intervention
Animal lovers clapped and cheered the rescue of three emaciated abandoned dogs that were seen licking a wondow pane for moisture in a locked property.
Neighbours of the property on Pelham Street, Newark, had been ringing the RSPCA almost every day for three weeks to report the animals’ plight and lambasted the animal charity for doing nothing more than pinning notes to the property door.
One neighbour described it as like watching a game of ping pong that had lives in the balance, while another said the stench coming from the property was so bad it was feared a dead body was inside.
Saying they had nowhere else to turn, they contacted the Advertiser. Within minutes of the story running online, dog lovers rushed to Pelham Street to assist the dogs in any way they could, including risking a criminal record by breaking in if needed.
It was then that Newark and Sherwood’s Operation Reacher policing team arrived and went into the address to rescue the dogs, the force having previously said it was up to the RSPCA to intervene.
Neighbour and retired paramedic David Brewer pushed food and ice cubes through the only open window of the rental property over the course of the three weeks.
He was told he would be arrested if he broke in by police who attended Saturday and did not remove the dogs,
Describing the moment that the dogs were freed, he said: “It was getting quite heated. There were people milling around who had seen the story and came straight down because they wanted to help.
“There was talk of breaking into the address and then the police arrived.
“They went into the address with shields and brought the dogs out in crates. We all clapped and cheered and I said to them this should have been done a long time ago.
“There were a lot of people there saying they had given to the RSPCA and never would again. I hope their takings go down.
“It was the story coming out that did it. Thank you.”
Posting on Facebook, police said: “Newark and Sherwood Operation Reacher have attended an address in Newark where we have temporarily taken three dogs into our control to have them medically assessed.
“This is following concerns raised by local residents surrounding the living conditions of the three animals.”
Neighbours said the three pets were left behind when a couple split up, shut inside one room of the house and rarely given water or food amid some of the hottest temperatures on record for the time of year.
The pets, left without bedding and in their own filth, had even pushed the open window open enough to climb out on to the roof to try and get attention.
Neighbours said they could not for the life of them understand why the RSPCA hadn’t applied for a warrant and rescued the dogs, one of which was said to now be incredibly weak.
Pelham Street resident Jenny Crossme had said: “They haven’t been out of the property in weeks despite the heat and the room they are in is full of faeces and urine.
“We don’t think they have long left. They are emaciated. Almost skeletal. They are living in their own filth. It may already be too late for one of them who seems beyond help becuase they are so very weak.
“We’ve done all we can. Turned to everyone we can think of. What does it take to save the lives of these three dogs?”
A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “It is not always appropriate for us to publicise information about our frontline work for legal and data protection reasons. We are so grateful to people who report suspected animal suffering to us and we would like to reassure people we will always look into and, where necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare.”
It is now hoped that all three can be nurtured back to good health and re-homed, though it’s not clear whether that will be through the RSPCA.
