A 12-week-old puppy was recused from an overcrowded house in Sheffield earlier this month, after she was bought as a ‘toy’ for children.
Earlier this month, officers from the dog legislation team attended a property in the Pitsmoor area of Sheffield, following concerns for a dog’s welfare.
The 12 week-old puppy, now named Ella, was found in a two-bedroom house, that housed 17 occupants. After she had been bought as a ‘toy’ to entertain the children.
PC Paul Jameson said: “Firstly it’s important to note that we do not remove good, safe animals from responsible families.
“We also do not destroy safe, manageable dogs. Our team are here to reduce risk, fatalities and injury.
“We removed Ella from the property she was living in as she was not being cared for in a responsible way. She had been bought as a ‘toy’ and was not being respected as a dog, including being given space and room for herself.
“During the process of removing Ella, we explained to the family that changes would need to be made and the likelihood was that they wouldn’t receive Ella back until she was much older. They didn’t want her back at an older age so signed her over to be rehomed.”
Ella has been rehomed and now lives in the countryside with another dog.
On average, five incidents per day are recorded for dogs causing fear, harm or injury to people or other animals.
PC Jameson added: “We have already rehomed 34 dogs this year. We want the best outcome for dogs and families. We want responsible owners to have decent dogs, in a safe environment and that’s why it is important that anyone looking to buy a dog does so from a reputable breeder or rehomes a dog from a rescue centre.”
