The RSPCA has issued an urgent plea for adopters in Wales to come forward after several large-scale cruelty and neglect cases left the animal welfare charity caring for a record number of dogs.

In July, the RSPCA had 1,646 dogs in its care in England and Wales - the highest number on record and more than double the number from July 2020. Of all the animals in RSPCA care in July, a third of these were dogs - with 445 dogs rescued in July alone, compared to a five-year average of 245 per month.

And because RSPCA centres are already full, almost half of those dogs are being cared for in private kennels - which, along with all the other animals being housed at private boarding establishments due to lack of space, comes at a cost of more than £650,000 a month to the charity.

Now, the charity is calling for the public’s help and urgently appealing for adopters to come forward, to give dogs like Nala a second chance and free up space so they can continue their vital rescue work.

Amirah Jones, Animal Centre Deputy Manager at Newport Animal Centre, said: “Every adoption frees up vital space for us to rescue another animal in urgent need. If you’ve ever considered adopting, now is the time - you could be the lifeline a dog is waiting for.”

Glenn Mayoll, Operations Manager at the RSPCA, said: “The summer is the busiest time of year for our frontline teams tackling cruelty and neglect - and on top of this, we’ve been called to help with several major incidents involving hundreds of dogs at once. It’s been so incredibly tough for our frontline teams trying to find spaces so we can bring hundreds of suffering dogs to safety.

“Our centres are full and we simply cannot keep up with demand.

“Our teams are working incredibly hard, under immense pressure, to protect the welfare of every dog in our care - and we’re calling on the public to help us by considering an RSPCA rescue dog.”

Due to ongoing investigations the RSPCA cannot give details about the recent large-scale incidents - dogs in RSPCA care have been rescued from heartbreaking situations of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Some require extensive rehabilitation and others are involved in ongoing legal proceedings, meaning they cannot yet be rehomed.

The charity is urging the public to help by adopting a pet if they’re in a position to or by sharing rehoming profiles to help dogs find their new families.

Glenn added: “We have all kinds of dogs that need loving new homes - from puppies to golden oldies, active dogs and couch potatoes, tiny pooches like Chihuahuas and French Bulldogs and big mutts like Belgian Shepherds and Cane Corsos - and everything in between.

“Some of our dogs may need extra special homes due to the suffering they have survived - but if anyone out there is looking to add a dog to their family, we’re confident they will be able to find one that suits them.”

To see all dogs available for adoption across the RSPCA’s centres, please visit the charity’s Find a Pet page.