In February 2024, 8 family dogs were unlawfully seized by the RSPCA. This has caused immense distress to a family who were, and still am,  dealing with health, physical and mental health illnesses following a very traumatic period in their lives. But now the one aid that was the most beneficial to help them through this dreadful period, have been brutally removed. 
They are both highly dependent on these dogs as vital aids to assist them live their lives. 
These dogs are not just pet dogs. They are Assistance Dogs. 
The dogs provides mobility and psychological support, and are Auxiliary Aids, not pet dogs. They are lifelines for their owners to meet their mobility and health issues and daily needs. For example, they prompt for medication, mealtimes, to get up in the morning, and to go to bed in the night. 
All the dogs are highly trained to meet the needs of the two owners. The oldest dog, age 15,  had been undergoing extra training as a Mobility and Assistance dog for the last few years. Due to his age, a younger dog had begun his additional Mobility and Assistance Dog training, as he would be taking over duties when the older dog retires.
While all the dogs were skilled in aiding for health and mobility disabilities to the owners, there were two who were being increasingly trained in other duties. 

All the dogs were rescue dogs, that had either health, behaviour or other issues which no-one wanted to adopt when they were young. Instead, they all found a forever, loving home with the family. All the dogs thrived in their home and lifestyle to live long and happy, healthy lives with each other and the owners. 

The matriarch of our family, aged 77, has low-level dementia and decreasing age related mobility. These dogs not just provide her companionship, but they are vital for her to maintain active and mobile. The dogs provide a communication tool as she can talk to them throughout the day. They keep her mind engaged with routine tasks such as feeding and taking them out to the toilet. She had a routine each day which enabled her to live independently and that was due to having care duties of the dogs. The dogs also recognised when she was upset and would provide extra support. 

In additions, one of these precious dogs serves as an Assistance Dog for another family member suffering from severe depression, bipolar, ADHD, PTSD and extreme panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. This dog is her life line. He provides the support to be able to leave the house and attend meetings and appointments, he travels and remains with her throughout the day and night, he 'talks' down panic attacks and breaks the suicidal and intrusive thought process. He gives her the only reason to get up and live for each day. He anticipates changes in her mood, breathing and anxiety and immediately starts putting himself in place to provide an aid to help stop the symptoms escalating. 

These animals were very fit, healthy, well cared-for teenage dogs, that are more than just dog members of the family. They were all in their teenage years, and therefore their most vulnerable time in life, especially for upheavals and rehoming.
The dogs had constant companionship, they were never left alone. 
They came out frequently in the car for 'road trips' around the country, to the beach or just days out to different places, sometimes staying in hotels or B+Bs for special mini holidays. 
They came to the pub for food, or sausage and chips at the beach. 
They had 2 regular meals every day. They also received natural treats every day, whether during training or just as a treat.
They had free running of downstairs so they could chill on the sofa, although they preferred the living room pouffe, or they would cuddle up to each other in a pile. 
They had constant access to go outside to the toilet all day and night at home. 
They could sleep on our sofas, or on their own beds, although they li
They had free running of 15 acres most days, where they could play together and get as muddy and dirty as they wanted. But they also had their own individual play sessions and cuddles.  
They all walked politely on the lead and had good off-lead recall training. 
They all had good manners and were polite, with good skills. 
4 of the dogs are litter siblings, that had been born into our home 13 years ago. They had never been split up from each other in 13 years. They were each others best friends and bonded sisters. Now they are ripped apart. 
The dogs will have had their names changed. 
Some dogs had age related health issues which were being managed with medication. 
One of these beloved dogs is/was receiving palliative care for cancer and is age 13. With regular vet reviews, medication and special diets, she was doing really well and increasing in her health and weight gain which was very optimistic. However, now we do not know if she is even alive. 
We do not know where the dogs are. We do not know how the dogs are. We do not know anything! 

The dogs and other pets were signed over ILLEGALLY by someone who claimed she had 'full permission' to dispose of / rehome all the dogs and pets. This is a complete LIE! She has committed purgery in signing a witness statement to the RSPCA, where she claimed repeatedly she had full permission to do whatever she wanted with the dogs and pets. 
Anyone/everyone who knows the family, will know they did not and would never give this permission to anyone at all, no matter what the situation was.
Neither was any permission given to any organisation to rehome the dogs, let alone permanently dispose or rehomed them.  Especially while legal action is still ongoing. 
In the case of emergency, there were very specific instructions of what to do and who to ask for help - all of this was completely ignored! 
AND even more clearly, they were specifically told, repeatedly DO NOT LET ANY OF THE ANIMALS GO TO THE RSPCA. This was also completely ignored.
The dogs and the pets, were all to be homed privately with people who they knew, and who knew them! They would have been in familiar surroundings with familiar people, so while they would have been upset and anxious with the changes, they would still not be completely isolated. 

Instead, the people who were trusted to act on their best interests on our behalf, failed them with catastrophic results. 

As for the RSPCA... They locked these beloved family dogs up inside a house for several days!!!! 
They refused to let anyone in to feed them. They refused to let anyone in to water them. They refused to let anyone in to allow the dogs outside to use the toilet.
 Instead, the dogs had to ensure being shut in the house without anyone with them, for DAYS. These dogs have never been treated like this in their whole lives, not even for 1 day, let alone many days. 
They even LOST one dog, who luckily ended up safe in another rescue. 
The dogs had to wee and poo all over the floors throughout the house, and then they had to walk all through and in it while they moved around trying to eat or drink. 
Luckily, I always have bags of treats and biscuits throughout the house and the taller dogs managed to jump onto the sofas, surfaces, cupboards and anywhere else they could reach to get these treats in order to have something to eat to survive! There were 4 x 15kg sacks of dog food locked into the spare room that the the dogs could not access, that they could have been given. 
Without water, they were forced to chew bleach bottles to try to get the liquid inside them! We are so grateful that they did not drink it. 
How these poor dogs did not turn on each other in such a highly stressed situation where they were all very desperate, is nothing short of a miracle. It could have been a bloodbath fighting over scraps of food.
They RSPCA did not care about that at all. Instead they threatened to bring charges against us for keeping the dogs like that! That THEY caused!
They claimed they do not like the fact that the house is disorganised - it is being renovated and decorated  - yet you can live homeless on a street with a dog and thats ok, but not live in a house where your replastering walls or having a new kitchen or patio?
According to the Animal Welfare Act (the RSPCA assisted in creating this for the government) dogs have 5 basic welfare needs.
Our family dogs had all those welfare needs met each day, and many more. They never needed or wanted for anything at all. There are many people who can verify this, including our vets.  
The RSPCA statement clearly states the pets were ALL in good condition at the time they were removed. Just scared and anxious. There was no need for them to do this. 
This was all carried out in revenge, for media attention, and whatever hidden agenda they feel they have benefited from.
We can only see the damage they have done to these animals when there was no need. Ripping apart a loved family, is not caring for animals, it is not looking after their welfare, it is not being animal lovers. It is discrimination, it is cruel, it is abuse.
Who is bringing charges against the RSPCA for leaving these animals alone, unattended, not fed, no water and living in their excrement for days??? If that was you or I, we would be hauled up in front of the court. But not themselves?! 

We urge you to consider this plea from a very distressed family seeking justice for their beloved pets, who have been taken away unlawfully and illegally. 
Please help bring back our Assistance Dogs, which are our lifelines.
Our health has deteriorated with such devastating effect, that have resulted in needing very high strength medication and urgent repeated medical meetings,.
The pain of the loss is incomprehensible, words cannot explain the heartbreak we are suffering. 
The constant shaking, not eating, stress, depression, panic attacks, flashbacks, nightmares and night traumas, high anxiety, unable to leave the house or drive to places alone, unable to go food shopping, forgetting to take medication, being unable to sleep for days on end, having frequent suicidal thoughts, ADHD and PTSD symptoms have escalated, and now being unable to live a life with our disabilities. 
We now need our Assistance Dogs more now than ever before. This proves just how vital they are to our needs. We do not know how much longer we can continue without them, because life is unbearable and we can no longer function without them. 

PLEASE – sign this petition today demanding that the RSPCA return the Assistance dogs and family pets immediately due to the illegal statement they accepted, without even trying to make any contact with the owners.

An Assistance dog is a legally protected auxiliary aid under the Disabilities, Discrimination and Equalities Acts. There have been repeated breaches of all these Acts and legal claims against these breaches are still ongoing.
We dont want our dogs to die with strangers or in kennels while we proceed.