Almost 500 reports of cruelty to dogs in Wiltshire were received by the RSPCA last year.

The animal charity received 491 dog cruelty reports in the county in 2023.

Nationally, in 2023, the RSPCA received 52,662 reports of cruelty to dogs, compared to 48,567 in 2022 - an eight per cent increase.

The charity received 42,613 reports in 2020, marking a 23 per cent increase in the space of four years.

The new figures have been released by the charity as part of its No Animal Deserves Cruelty summer appeal.

DollyDolly (Image: RSPCA)

Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: "It is heart breaking that more dogs need our help - we need to make a stand against this and say ‘no more’.

"Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend, yet more and more dogs are being subjected to cruelty every year.

“We would love to see, next year, cruelty going down. We know we can’t do this alone - so our purpose is for everyone to work together to create a kinder world for animals."

One dog who was subjected to cruelty is a chihuahua named Dolly, who was rescued by the RSPCA in Yorkshire.

Her previous owner took her to the vets with multiple injuries they claimed were cause accidentally.

When the vet placed Dolly on the floor near her owner to assess her movement, she immediately ran towards the vet and hid behind her legs, shivering, crouching very low to the ground and had her tail between her legs.

X-rays revealed Dolly’s injuries were much more extensive than first thought.

Dolly when she was rescuedDolly when she was rescued (Image: RSPCA)

She had a broken rib, a fracture to her third vertebrae indicative of a tail pull injury and a dislocated tail.

Her owner later pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Dolly and was banned from keeping animals for life.

She now lives a happy life with her new owner, RSPCA inspector Lucy Green.

Ms Green said: "She was initially quite timid but settled in quickly and enjoyed attention. Dolly would often get up and follow me as I left a room.

“At first she was very nervous about certain things such as any loud noises or sudden movements.

"There were times where someone shouts on the TV or loud music might have come on during an advert and she would stop what she was doing and shake, lower her head and tuck her tail up under herself.”