Shane the German Shepherd ‘forced to live on tiny balcony in own faeces’

A dog has been forced to stand for hours in its own faeces on a tiny balcony for five years according to its neighbours who say they have struggled to get the animal any help.

Residents and workmen on the Monkswood estate in Leeds claim they have begged the RSPCA and West Yorkshire Police to ‘save’ Shane the German Shepherd but say they have had no luck.

As Shane’s owner feeds him and is unwilling to give him up the animal can be left to spend over 15 hours a day on a balcony measuring just one metre across, the neighbours say.

After five years of complaining, residents have enlisted the help of the Animal Liberation Front, which is known for breaking the law to release animals from captivity.

The ALF carries out direct action against animal abuse by removing animals from laboratories and farms, destroying facilities, arranging safe houses and veterinary care.

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A member of the Animal Liberation Front told Metro.co.uk: ‘You might as well phone Police Academy instead of the RSPCA because they do nothing in so many cases.

‘We are getting more calls like this now because the RSPCA gets told about mistreatment and then does nothing about the animal, it can be heartbreaking for animal lovers to see nothing being done.’

One resident on the Monkswood estate said: ‘This poor German Shepherd is still living on the balcony. He used to bark all day now he is silent.

‘He stands in his own faeces, unable to sit down and urine runs off onto the ground so the whole place stinks. He is never walked and goes onto the one bed flat to sleep at night.

‘I have spoken to the owner several times but he won’t let me find a rescue centre for him.

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‘I have reported this to the RSPCA who say the dog is healthy so they do not think what is happening is cruel.’

They added: ‘After reporting the incident to the RSPCA all I got was phone calls asking for donations, which was really annoying. The dog warden says as he is not straying, there is nothing they can do.

‘The council have sent letters [to the dog’s owner] which are ignored, about the noise, the smell and how this is anti-social behaviour.

‘Meanwhile this poor dog has lived on the balcony since he was a puppy – this has been going on for over five years, he needs to be freed.’

But the dog’s owner says Shane is well fed, not mistreated and said ‘he’s a happy dog’.

The owner said: ‘He doesn’t get left out on the balcony, he’s way too big. We just leave it open so he can go in and out.

‘He does his mess out there because if we let him into the garden he’d run out on to the road.

‘None of the neighbours have come round to speak to us about it but they’re fine to put it all over Facebook.

‘Why not come and knock on the door? The RSPCA have been round five times but they can’t do anything because he’s well fed, not mistreated and he doesn’t cower when they go to him.’

The resident – who asked not to be named – also demanded West Yorkshire Police intervene and remove the dog but claims they were told it was not the police’s problem.

The West Yorkshire Police Customer Contact Centre Team said: ‘It is the RSPCA that would need to create a file/case for the animal.

‘We would attend with RSPCA to seize the animal. I could only advise you to keep reporting this to them, the more you report the dog, the more evidence they will have to prosecute.

‘Unfortunately, the police cannot attend and remove the dog, it is the RSPCA that would remove it, we would only attend to prevent a breach of the peace.’

A RSPCA spokesman said: ‘We are aware of this. Unfortunately we are unable to discuss complaints about specific people and what action may have been taken.

‘A lot of the time issues will be dealt with by advice and education and it is not always appropriate to publicise this information for legal reasons.

‘We are so grateful to people who report suspected animal suffering to us and we would like to reassure people we will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare.’

He added: ‘Our vital work helping animals is funded entirely thanks to kind gifts from the public. We only contact supporters who have consented to hearing from us and people can opt out at any time by calling 0300 123 0346.’