25% of abandoned dogs were destroyed

A quarter of the 17,500 dogs abandoned or given up by their owners last year were destroyed even though many were healthy.

As animal shelters struggle to cope, figures show wardens seized 6,903 dogs and puppies in 2012. A further 10,574 were either surrendered to authorities or collected by wardens.

More than 7,100 dogs were either re-homed or reclaimed. A further 5,706 were transferred to dog welfare groups to see if they could find them homes.