Dog rescue charity fears single breeder may have dumped 28 dogs

A charity believes as many as 28 dogs that have come into its care may have been dumped by a single large-scale breeder.

Dog rescue charity Hope Rescue said the dogs included labradors, golden retrievers, cocker spaniels and mixes of those breeds and were found in Bridgend, Swansea and Glynneath, Neath Port Talbot.

Sara Rosser of Hope Rescue, based in Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said the animals likely all came from the same place and were all “quite traumatised” when they were rescued.

“It’s been a really shocking case for us, even for our longest-serving staff, we’ve never seen anything like this,” she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Ten dogs were brought into the charity from Bridgend, while another 15 dogs – believed to be from the same place – were dumped in Glynneath.

Another three, found in the Gower in Swansea, have also been taken into the care of Hope Rescue.

“We’re really concerned that this may be a large-scale breeder who is now essentially sort of coordinating and dumping across south Wales, which is a huge concern,” Ms Rosser added.

She said all the dogs found in Bridgend were female, and all the dogs dumped in Glynneath were male.

“So it would definitely appear that this was a planned abandonment,” she said.

Ms Rosser said none of them were used to walking on a lead, adding they were “very scared of people”.

The charity believes the dogs are all under three years old, with the majority about 18 months old.

Members of the public did an “incredible” job of catching the dogs, she said, but they are quite traumatised from their experiences.

Many of the dogs also have some medical problems and will need care before they can be re-homed.

“But luckily, with the breeds they are as well, we think they’ll be quite popular. We just need to find those right homes that can support them on their journey,” she said.