Front cover
Fly, a 15-year-old lurcher-type dog, endured terrible pain during the last few weeks
of her life due to her owner's failure to seek veterinary treatment.
He had hoped Fly would die at home and was surprised that she had lasted so long.
The veterinary surgeon had never seen a dog as thin as Fly still alive. He said that
all the conditions from which she was suffering could have been treated at an
earlier stage and, sadly, concluded that euthanasia was now the most appropriate
and compassionate option for her.
Fly's owner was disqualified from keeping animals for life, given 12 weeks'
imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.
ForewordMICHAEL TOMLINSON
RSPCA Chair of Trustees
prosecution of animal cruelty offences also
helps to fulfil the RSPCA's objects.
Prosecution upholds the law of the land and
deters others from committing offences.
A successful prosecution can directly protect
animals that the courts might confiscate
from those convicted of cruelty and, of
course, those convicted of cruelty can also
be disqualified from having animals in future,
a significant preventative measure.
In the Prosecutions Department Annual
Report 2013 I mentioned that the RSPCA
had commissioned an independent review
of its prosecution activity. That report,
produced by Stephen Wooler CB, was
published in full by the RSPCA on 1 October
2014, along with the RSPCA's response. The
RSPCA is now engaged in actively
considering the review's recommendations,
and implementing those that it can. We will
also explain why any of the recommendations
are not to be implemented.
The RSPCA will strive to prevent cruelty to
animals and intervene when it detects it.
This report demonstrates exactly why.
Protecting the welfare of animals is of the
utmost importance to my fellow RSPCA
Trustees and I. The Society is the world's
oldest animal welfare organisation and one
that still plays a vitally important role, for the
public benefit, in England and Wales.
The objects of the RSPCA are to promote
kindness to animals and prevent and suppress
cruelty to them. Those objects are achieved
in part by the inspectorate, which improves
the welfare of animals day in, day out. The