Organisations and individuals from around the world have backed the charity in its aim to put an end to the controversial legislation which currently prohibits four types of dogs being kept in the UK. In the four months since the campaign was launched, people have flocked to support the petition. In fact more than 52,000 people have backed the RSPCAs opposition of BSL – and that’s just in the last four months.

Here’s a “pupdate” on the six tiny Lurcher puppies who were dumped in a bucket late in 2016. The tiny, five week old pups were dumped on a doorstep a few days before Christmas 2016. Due to the timing of their discovery, the youngsters were named after Santa’s reindeer, after being taken to the RSPCA.

The litter of puppies are recovering from their ordeal, although one puppy – Dasher - very sadly died of parvo within a few days of being rescued. The surviving puppies are doing very well, thankfully.

The RSPCA is reporting an upturn in the number of “designer breeds” such as French bulldogs and Pugs being abandoned. Becoming fashionable can have dire consequences for a breed, for as more people choose to buy a puppy of a specific breed, more people will sadly choose not to keep the dog long-term. Some of the unfortunate dogs who are cast aside by their owners end up being taken in by the RSPCA.

In 2016 the charity rescued several Pugs and French bulldogs who had been abandoned. Here are some of their stories:

Poor Petunia

Most dogs who are found as strays face a challenging future – but two Chihuahuas who were recently found abandoned at the side of a busy road faced extra challenges. The poor, tiny dogs were not only dumped by the roadside, but one was blind and one was missing a foot.