RSPCA Christmas film tells heartbreaking story of dumped pets

The RSPCA is inviting people to help mend broken hearts as it launches its Christmas video.

The charity, which has branches in Wakefield and Halifax, wants to raise awareness of pets dumped due to the current cost of living crisis.

The film, named Heart, tells the story of an injured and abandoned dog who is helped to safety by an RSPCA rescuer before his life is transformed by love and care.

The video was created by the RSPCA’s small in-house video production team Alan Laxton and Lewis Jones, with help from Lewis’s rescue dog Baby and is set to an exclusive cover of Blondie’s Heart of Glass by Gabrielle Aplin.

Baby, the doggy star of the film, is a five-year-old golden retriever who was rescued from cruelty by the RSPCA alongside his mum and siblings when he was just a few weeks old.

The film also stars his rescuer, RSPCA animal rescue officer Julie Parsons, who was overjoyed to be reunited with the dog she last saw when he was just a pup she was helping to safety.

On the reunion, Julie said: “It was lovely to see Baby again, I was over the moon to see him looking so happy and healthy.

“We see such horrendous cruelty, abuse and neglect. Having the chance to be reunited with an animal you’ve rescued makes it all worthwhile.

“On the frontline, we are so focused on rescuing as many animals as we can, we sometimes don’t have the chance to find out what’s happened to them once they’ve been brought to safety. As such, having the chance to see Baby, and for us both to feature in this year’s Christmas film, was such a treat.”

Alan and Lewis came up with the idea after the charity reported a concerning rise in the number of abandonment and neglect incidents being dealt with by rescuers in recent months, with teams dealing with a shocking 25% increase in abandonment incidents since the start of the year.

Now, the RSPCA is asking the nation to help make sure animals do not pay the price of the cost of living crisis this festive season by joining their Winter Rescue, ensuring rescuers can be there for animals in need.

RSPCA broadcast manager Alan Laxton, who oversaw the shoot, said: "We're so proud to be able to share this film with such a beautiful soundtrack. Our thanks go to BMG, Gabrielle Aplin and Blondie for all helping to make this possible.

“We hope to inspire people to ‘Join the Rescue’ and be there for animals at a time they desperately need our help.

“As the current cost of living crisis engulfs the nation, vulnerable animals risk being overlooked. Sadly we expect to see many more animals abandoned this Christmas.

“We wanted to remind people of the cold reality faced by unwanted pets by sharing the stories of abandonment and neglect faced by those like the dog and cat in our film."

Join the RSPCA’s Winter Rescue here.