South Yorkshire RSPCA inspectors reveal horrors of animal cruelty cases

Kerry Grayson, Animal Care Assistant, pictured with Tilly the Cat. Picture: Marie Caley NSST RSPCA MC 11

A visit to a massage parlour over concerns for the welfare of a dog, checks on two horses feared neglected and a house visit to inspect five tarantulas...it's all in a day's work for South Yorkshire's RSPCA inspectors.

With a team of 12 inspectors responsible for checking on the welfare of animals across South Yorkshire, the animal lovers never know what horrors will unfold from one day to the next.

The Star spent a day shadowing the team, and went along to the massage parlour in Sheffield and to speak to the owner of two dogs in Rotherham after concerns were raised - but none of the pets were deemed to be at risk.

Jennie Ronksley, RSPCA Inspector, pictured with 10-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Jodie. Picture: Marie Caley NSST RSPCA MC 2

Nothing could have prepared Inspector Jennie Ronksley for what she discovered on a previous visit to a flat in Sheffield following a call advising the RSPCA to check on the dogs in the property.

Peering through the letterbox and overcome by the stench of ammonia and faecal matter, she initially saw a thin Staffordshire bull terrier barking and growling in the hallway and covered in faeces and urine.

When she eventually got into the property she was met with the heartbreaking sight of two emaciated dogs - a Stadffordshire bull terrier and a bull mastiff-cross - curled up together on a filthy blanket and covered in weeping sores.

One of the neglected dogs was tethered to a radiator with a short chain, leaving him unable to reach his water bowl.

Neither had any food.