New figures reveal two dogs are victims of intentional harm every day in South West

Dogs are four times more likely than other pets to be the victim of deliberate cruelty

Dogs are widely regarded as man's best friend - but they're also the most persecuted pet in England and Wales.

According to new figures, released by the RSPCA dogs are four times more likely to be the victims of intentional harm compared to cats. While there are an estimated 12 million dogs and 12 million cats being kept as pets in the UK*, dogs are much more likely to be the victims of deliberate cruelty.

As part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, the RSPCA is releasing new figures today that highlight how - despite being called 'man's best friend' - dogs are the most likely pet to be abused by their owners.

Over four years (2016-2020), 63,881 incidents of intentional harm involving dogs were reported to the RSPCA's cruelty line; that's 34 a day or more than one every hour across England and Wales. In 2020, 7,691 reports of intentional harm against dogs were reported to the RSPCA and, over summer (June - August) in particular, the charity received 2,053 reports.

In the South West, the charity's officers investigated 786 incidents of deliberate cruelty towards dogs in 2020.

Bristol - 54

Somerset - 136

Devon - 184

Cornwall - 78

Dorset - 80

Wiltshire - 68

Gloucestershire - 99

Worcestershire - 62

Herefordshire - 25

Cases investigated over the last four years include:

XL bully Dora (pictured) and her littermates were just a few months old when they were rescued from Bristol; their ears had been hacked off so they could be sold on for more money with the desired - but illegal - cropped look;

Rottweiler Lulu was heard on audio recordings whimpering and screaming as her owner, from Bristol, attacked her, shouting: "I'll f*cking ave you";

Terrier Darby (pictured) was caught on CCTV being dropped to the ground and kicked by his owner (Somerset);

Audio recordings picked up 36 hits, punches and slaps as Hugo was beaten and scolded by his owner, who said: 'Are you crying now?', 'Don't cower when you're told off' (Devon);

The campaign aims to raise funds to keep its rescue teams on the frontline saving animals in desperate need of help as well as raise awareness about how we can all work together to stamp out cruelty for good.

The RSPCA gets around 84,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and around 1,500 of those are about intentional cruelty. But the charity sees a rise in the summer by around 400 calls, on average, per month, which equates to 47 calls every day or two every hour.

The RSPCA's rescue teams need support to stay out on the frontline as the only charity rescuing animals and investigating cruelty:

£6 could help pay to feed a dog for a day ;

£10 could help pay towards bandages for a cat or dog;

£15 could help pay for a cat or dog's clinical exam.

To donate to the Cancel Out Cruelty campaign and help us continue to rescue animals in need, click HERE : the RSPCA site