“I've rescued thousands of animals in 38 years - including puppies, lizards, snakes and monkeys”

As a frontline officer, I am used to dealing with some horrific cases of neglect and cruelty. A key part of the role is to rescue those who are suffering and bring those responsible to justice.

One of the most shocking cases I have had to deal with was in the Rotherham area - when a man had moved out of a council property and left his 50 pets behind, including exotic animals like snakes and tarantulas.

I walked in and saw vivarium after vivarium all stacked up on top of each other. There were chameleons, snakes, lizards, tarantulas and all sorts in them.

It was so hot in the property too as the heating had been left on, so we could tell they were all going to be very feisty and hungry, which would make it difficult and dangerous to deal with them.

So we turned the heating off and returned the next day when they were calmer, and began taking them away. We needed plenty of pillow cases, as that is what we often use to move snakes safely into our vans.

All the animals thrived, and were taken on by specialist reptile keepers.

Sign up for our free newsletters today

As an exotic specialist, I also once had to rescue a Capuchin monkey. The poor monkey - whose natural habitat is hot climates - was found in a freezing outdoor cage in West Yorkshire, and had lost fingers and toes from frostbite.

The owner did not have the licence they needed either, as the species falls under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

The RSPCA opposes having monkeys as pets anyway - to have a good quality of life, they need to be kept with members of their own species so they can socialise and display behaviours like social grooming, food sharing, communal resting and interactive play.

The monkey was taken to live a happier life with other members of its species at a rescue centre, thankfully.

In my career, a few animals have made such an impression on me that I adopted them myself. I currently have two dogs, six snakes (three Royal Pythons, a corn snake and two Western Hognose), three rabbits and five cats.

My toy poodle, Mouse, was from one of the worst dog neglect cases I had ever come across.

More than 70 dogs were found in horrific conditions in crates at a property in Doncaster. Mouse had been living in a crate for four years, in cramped conditions surrounded by faeces. 

She refused to eat and drink after rescue and vets were concerned she had ‘given up on life,’ so I took her home for the weekend for some much-needed love.

She made a remarkable recovery. She slowly started to trust me and enjoy affection - the turning point was when I gave her some cooked chicken! She loves it to this day.

My career in the RSPCA began with volunteering at the Sheffield Branch, as I wanted to become a vet. When I lost my dad unexpectedly at 16, they offered me a paid job at the branch, in 1986.

I then took emergency calls at the call centre in Wath-on-Dearne, then joined the frontline rescue team in 2006, then finally, became an inspector in 2015.

It has been very tough at times dealing with some heartbreaking incidents. Sometimes we have to deal with the bodies of pets who have cruelly been left to die.

In those terribly upsetting situations, the thing that keeps us going is trying to get justice for the poor animals by finding the person responsible and making them answerable to the courts.

The rewarding part of our job is when we rescue an animal in need and, following rehabilitation in our care, they go on to have loving homes. That makes everything so worthwhile - seeing their happiness, and the joy they give to their new owners.

For 200 years the RSPCA has been making a massive difference to improving animals' lives. This year, the charity wants to inspire people to join their million-strong movement for animals and help us change many more animals’ lives. They receive more reports of cruelty in summer than at any other time of year. That’s why they have launched the RSPCA Summer Cruelty Appeal. By working together we can create a world that’s kinder for all animals.