In April 2025, nine officers from the RSPCA arrived at a South Yorkshire home to an appalling sight.
Amid rooms covered floor to ceiling with faeces and surfaces crusted with thick dirt, 80 springer spaniels and four Patterdale Terriers were crammed into a single property in Tickhill, Doncaster.
The charity said numbers had rapidly spiralled because none of the stressed, anxiety-ridden dogs had been neutered.
Some of the Spaniels were underweight - likely as a result of having to compete for food - and had untreated health conditions. The majority did not appear to have ever been walked on a lead and had to be carried to waiting vehicles by rescuers.
Three people from Doncaster will be sentenced on 9 December for their neglect of the animals following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
Now, nearly 18 months after their rescue, the RSPCA has shared the adorable success stories of 10 of the dogs who have been rehomed by centres all over the UK.
See how these adorable pups have thrived after being given a second chance in our gallery below.
.jpeg?trim=0,83,0,83&crop=&width=800)
1. Squalor
This was the sight that greeted RSPCA officers in April 2025 when they found 80 springer spaniels living in squalor at a filthy property in Tickhill, Doncaster. | RSPCA
.jpeg?trim=0,83,0,83&crop=&width=800)
2. "Faeces from floor to ceiling"
Many of the rooms were covered from floor to ceiling in faeces and dirt several inches thick. The charity said numbers had rapidly spiralled because none of the dogs - 80 Springer Spaniels and four Patterdale Terriers - had been neutered. | RSPCA
3. Happy endings
The RSPCA is now sharing some of the happy endings for these dogs over a year after their rescue. | South Yorkshire Police
.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&crop=&width=800)
4. Darcy, now living in Southport - "A joy to be around"
Darcy, who gave birth to five healthy puppies at the branch’s animal centre in New Cut Lane, is now living happily with her new family in Southport. Her owner, Joanna Baldwin, said: "Darcy was a brilliant mum who was still nursing her litter of newborns when I first met her. I visited her about half a dozen times before she finally came home with me a month after she’d finished raising her little ones... Darcy loves to run, although she never goes very far from me, and if she’s not racing around she’ll be on the sofa. We’ve had our challenges; she still struggles a bit with unfamiliar dogs, and she isn’t a fan of the hoover... She’s come so far - she’s so affectionate and a joy to be around.” | RSPCA