Plight of 'Larry' illustrates huge rise in abandoned pets

The Scottish SPCA's animal helpline received 380 calls about abandoned animals in the area last year - 20 per cent up on the year before.

Eleven of those animals were dumped over the festive period, including a dog left tied to a set of railings in Edinburgh on Hogmanay.

The male Labrador cross was tied up on Peffer Street in Craigmillar, close to the police station, for more than 10 hours before being rescued.

Senior Inspector for the animal welfare charity, Jenny Scott, came to the dog's aid after receiving a call from a concerned local resident.

Inspector Scott said: "A local resident said they had seen the dog tied up just after midnight whilst first-footing, but assumed someone was coming back for it that night.

"When I collected him, he had been outside for at least ten hours."

She added: "The dog is in good condition and we originally thought someone might have tied him up and forgotten about him, but no-one has come forward to claim him."

The dog was taken to the charity's Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Balerno, where staff named him Larry, before being transferred to the Lanarkshire centre a few days later due to a shortage of kennel space.

Paul Anderson, the charity's chief inspector for Edinburgh and the Lothians, said: "There was a case before when a man was out walking his dog and took an epileptic fit and then didn't remember having the dog with him. It wasn't until after he recovered and someone asked him where the dog was that he remembered.

"There could be lots of innocent reasons for this dog being abandoned, or it could just be that somebody has got fed up with it. It wouldn't have been pleasant for him being tied up and not being able to seek shelter. It would certainly have been cold."

Larry is black with a white strip on his chest and is between three and four years old. He was wearing a red leather collar with silver metal dogs on it. Inspector Scott added: "We hope someone will help us track down his owner."

The charity said it did not know what was behind the big rise in animals being abandoned but stressed that not only was it cruel but also an offence.