An animal sanctuary manager has spoken about a dog she took in that she says was beaten, tied to a park bench and nearly had to be put down.

Blue, a bull crossbreed, had been tied to a park bench and dumped by her former owners, having been beaten, traumatised and starved, claimed Lianne Angliss, general manager of Hopefield Animal Sanctuary in Brentwood.

Lianne, 36, said on Friday (October 20) that Blue was an extreme case in her 16-year career, but added that many people had since contacted her sanctuary about dogs and other pets being dumped.

"Blue hasn't just been dumped - she's been beaten, she's been traumatised and starved," she said. "So that's a whole different neglect."

"I haven't stopped crying every time I look at her," Lianne added. "It makes me really sad thinking what she's gone through."

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Romford Recorder: Lianne said she can't imagine what dog rescues are feeling right nowLianne said she can't imagine what dog rescues are feeling right now (Image: Hopefield Animal Sanctuary)

Blue had initially been cared for at a Romford vets, then taken in by Hopefield staff on October 16. Lianne said even the police were involved given her state.

The vet could not keep her forever, Lianne added, so they tried to find an alternative but no dog rescue was found.

This left the vet fearing they might have little choice but to put her down, and Blue was scheduled to be euthanised that afternoon.

That was when Lianne and Hopefield Animal Sanctuary stepped in, despite limited space, to save Blue.

"I remember when I went to pick her up from the vet - she wouldn't even look at me," Lianne said. "The damage that has been done to her is so severe I don't think she'll ever recover fully."

Despite that, Lianne said she was grateful to give Blue the belated chance to enjoy her life.

"I let her off in a secure field we've got and I've never seen a dog run so fast, and bound so happily - it was like she was free."

Lianne said Blue was an extreme case, hence why her sanctuary took her in. But she admitted there are many other dogs in similar positions, placing rehoming centres in a difficult spot.

"There's always animals being dumped - I mean we just picked up a goat the other day that had been dumped on the side of a road.

"It's literally gone crazy," she added. "I can't even imagine what actual dog rescues are feeling right now." 

Lianne, whose sanctuary has built dog houses to meet unprecedented demand, said greater restrictions must be imposed to tackle the cause.

"There's no law in the UK, besides the Dangerous Dogs Act, surrounding dogs at all.

"You can just buy a dog from the internet and no one asks any questions," she said.

The general manager added that she sympathised with people that had been attacked by XL Bullies and other breeds, but said an increase in dog aggression needed to be looked at as a wider problem.

"We need to look at the full picture," she said. "The owners, the people buying the dogs, what they're being bought for, how they're being trained.

“To see any animal with fear in her eyes like Blue has been absolutely heartbreaking," she added.

"We’re doing everything we can to help her."