'The owners should get the same treatment they gave to those poor animals' - West Bromwich shoppers react to rise in abandoned pets after horrific case of Staffordshire bull terrier

The troubling data gives a bleak look at how careless some wannabe pet-owners can be when deciding to adopt a fury friend, failing to realise just how much of a commitment it is to take on an animal for the duration of its life and not putting enough thought into the costs.

The views of most seem to be aligned in the belief that people need to take much longer to consider if they want a pet enough to take care of it until its death, and those that do not treat an animal properly should be given severe punishments including large fines, and criminal charges that would lead to prison time - along with a life-time ban on owning pets in the future. 

Just last week, a shocking case of abandonment came to light and a Willenhall woman was banned from owning animals for 15 years after her dog was left to suffer in an emaciated state.

Colleen Rathbone, 32, of Portobello Close, Portobello, Willenhall, was also sentenced to four months custody, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to two animal welfare offences, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.

Mo, a 13-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, was taken to a vet by Rathbone on March 7, 2024, in a collapsed and emaciated condition. 

The vet euthanised her on welfare grounds but contacted the RSPCA with concerns that Mo had suffered from prolonged neglect.

Cases just like these have cropped up across the West Midlands - and across the country - and shoppers in West Bromwich have offered their views on the upsetting scenes in which animals are seen in deathly states after being promised a loving home with a forever family. 

Pet owner Mary Hayfield, 78, from Smethwick, has owned her dog Rainy, a French bulldog, for two years and said she would go without food if she had to just to feed her furry friend - admitting that abandoning pets is 'disgusting'. 

She said: "I'm disgusted, I don't know how people who want an animal can treat them the way they do. I saw that poor dog Mo last week and what happened to her was just appalling. 

"I think money is one of the main reasons people abandon their pets, it's not cheap to have one and it can get more expensive than people realise but if that is the case I can't see why they have them in the first place. 

"Why have a dog if you can't look after it, I would go without food for my dog, I really would.