In Devon there has been a 94% rise in reports of animals being beaten during the summer months, according to the RSPCA.

The huge rise in incidents were recorded over the summer seasons from 2020 to 2024. There were 347 reports in total.

Ian Briggs, head of the Special Operations Unit (SOU) at the RSPCA, said: “These are really distressing and stark figures. One report of an animal being beaten every half an hour is a horrible thought, but sadly this is the reality in summer when our cruelty line receives a beating report every 30 minutes. It isn’t clear why there has been such a dramatic increase in abuse against animals, but what is clear is that animals are suffering at the hands of people on a much bigger scale than many people realise.”

In May 2025 a man from Plymouth was caught on camera repeatedly kicking and slapping his pet French Bulldog Ronnie for ten minutes.

One kick propelled him 90 degrees before he landed. His owner was prosecuted by the RSPCA.

Ian added: “We’re finding that CCTV footage, doorbell cameras and smartphones are providing a view into society that we never had before, meaning that animal beatings are more likely to be caught on camera in supermarket car parks, on streets, in lifts, and even behind closed doors in the home – giving us the evidence we need to be able to seek justice.

“This could account for the rise that we are seeing as these awful abusers are more likely to be caught on camera, uploaded to social media or reported directly to us.”

Sadly, dogs were the most likely pet to be beaten with nearly 21,000 dog beating reports made to the charity last year alone with bulldog breeds the most likely to be abused (6,670 reports from 2022-2024).